The Weekly Coos

DJing and composite music creation are two different talents that can dictate what you prefer from a DJ, and for Peggy Gou, it’s unfortunate that for me, it’s the former. There were some highs before leading to this conclusion, like the lead single, “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” off her recently released debut album, I Hear You; unfortunately, the quality doesn’t get fully mirrored on the album as a whole, and instead, leaves you aiming to hit singles instead of gunning it with power to hit that illustrious homerun. I Hear You plays it too safe, to put it mildly; there is little pizzaz, pushing more of that rudimentary dance-pop/house-pop that doesn’t move the needle much, outside of some fun vocal performances and production emanating from the two featured artists on the album and three solos. Outside of these five, you could honestly leave the album and not return to it as the disappointment lingers, all of which emanates from the expectancy of the delivery; frankly, the lack of fortuitous fun gets missed, and you get left with a weak debut that had promise going in; opposite to Prism of Pleasure by Elkka, which is more illustrative.

I Hear You begins with a tepid climb in the first two tracks before striking a powerful chord with “I Believe In Love Again,” a collaboration with Lenny Kravitz that exemplifies both artists’ strengths, specifically Kravitz’s smooth and sultry vocals reeling you in. It’s a significant high where its melancholic production doesn’t shroud in mediocrity. It’s a minimalistic Dance/House beat that has nuanced R&B textures that feel reminiscent of 90s slow-tempo R&B. It’s followed by another Dance/House track, “All That,” but switches the flow via its featured artist, Villano Antillano, who’s rap flows breathes and exhales that 80s vogue influence, offering something fresh and igniting. It’s capsulated by the fun EuroDance-House-Pop number in its lead single “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” which is one of its more elevated fun tracks, and like the anthemic “All That,” it lets it loose, having fun with the layers. “Lobster Telephone” follows as a vibey tech house banger given this unique angle by Peggy Gou’s vocals, which come in Korean. Her Korean heritage shines as an identity on the album, which we hear with crisp “Seoulsi Peggygou (서울시페기구),” a breakbeat beat that incorporates its influence with certain instruments like with the strings. I value these five tracks, as they are above the rest, pushing negative value to the final product via stagnancy.

Unfortunately, it’s after these songs that we revert back to conventionalism, as Peggy Gou loses a slight essence of identity for more of a bouncy club vibe, and though she does manage to give it a spin that her own, they aren’t moving the needle on the production side. That isn’t to say the quality isn’t imminent; it’s more that it chooses to tip-toe a line that you’re often left thinking of better tracks that have done similarly, like the simplistic Euro-Dance/House beat of “I Go” or “1+1=11,” where the deep house bridges feel off from the rest of what it wants to employ. It makes that amazing run more impactful because you get left underwhelmed completely. The same with “1+1=11” can be said about the song that comes before it; “Purple Heaven” has a unique percussion pattern but gets washed away by the redundant synth layers and with these tracks are the closers and are weaker as such. Fortunately, you can look at the positives and relish in a solid run, even after a tepid opening with the formulaic vogue-ish intro and the more apropos dance track “Back To One.”

I wanted to like I Hear You as much as the next person, but it didn’t have enough juice to push me towards loving it. It’s one of the more forgettable projects of the summer, and it’s a disappointment, mainly when she delivered some solid mixes and singles to start the rollout. I can’t offer much to offer except this album is a definitive skip outside of the few tracks I enjoyed the most, especially with the Lenny Kravitz and Villano Antillano features.