- Ahead of this release, Hercules & Love Affair mastermind Andy Butler pointedly explained why he stepped out from his main project for You Can Shine / Personality Track: "Sometimes I wanna do whatever the fuck I wanna do." This, of course, still includes a taste for the disco-dusted house anthems Butler's built his name on, and NYC singer Richard Kennedy makes sure to keep that element alive with his blazing vocal turn on "You Can Shine." Butler does get darker and stranger than any on H&LA material on his new 12-inch, which is a fine new angle if he doesn't take it too far.
You can't get much better than "You Can Shine" when it comes to an assertive first single that doubles as mission statement. The beefy, retro-leaning track is all punchy 909s and elastic bass notes, imbued with the soul of Butler and Kennedy's respective strengths. It's big, it's sticky and it never tries to reach beyond the heart of the dance floor. And you could say the same of "Personality Track," but as its title implies, the song gorges a bit on quirky self-expression. Butler's techy, freeform house jam treats its grab bag of vintage samples like a dispensable plaything, toying with them at random before inexplicably losing interest. It results in a flighty and decadent B-side that belies the strength of its confident counterpart.
TracklistA1 You Can Shine feat. Richard Kennedy
B1 Personality Track