- Brilliant and sometimes raw party tunes from one of American house music's leading lights.
- On savedbythebell, I hear Dick Dastardly and Muttley freewheeling for the finish line to the sound of rickety frame drums and spiralling high-pitched effects. It's unhinged and bolshie house music, unlike anything I've heard from the San Francisco producer in a while.
To my mind there are two Seven Davis Jr.s out there: the introspective, world-weary one, who has a message to share, and the carefree, playful one who leaves the talking at the door. Last year he released the funky house album I See the Future after a long break battling depression. The LP was upbeat, projecting a bright future for himself in contrast to 2015's nu jazz-leaning Universes which was restive, mocking hipsters in "Everybody Too Cool" and lamenting conflict in "Fighters." But it's the less pensive Davis Jr. that really gets you moving, like the way 2014's P.A.R.T.Y EP coaxes you onto the dance floor with the line "You don't have to trip / You don't have to lie / I know you like to P.A.R.T.Y."
Savedbythebell has an equally enticing refrain—"Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have a girlfriend?"—that pans across the track "boyfriend or girlfriend." Though it might be a dig at the pressures of having a partner, it's not the focus. It's all about the rugged percussion here. The kick drums sound like they'd be at home on a Boddika and Joy Orbison head-banger. The rough and tumble drum fills on the title track are another highlight. The only song that has the familiar slick and funky Davis Jr. rhythm is "zero press," but in spite of its catchy hook ("I'm into / zero pressure"), it's missing the same unhinged freedom as those other tunes.
"In the past when I first debuted as an artist and people first started hearing of me, it was definitely all about control," said Davis Jr in a recent interview. "Now I completely surrender. I am not in control of the ship." It's this hands-off approach that gives savedbythebell momentum and keeps you dancing. His last album prophesied a bright future. Now it sounds like he's coasting through it.
Tracklist01. savedbythebell
02. zero press
03. not a jerk i swear
04. meet me at the afters
05. boyfriend or girlfriend
06. wendy & lisa