The Weekly Coos

Kaytranada’s last two albums were vibrant pieces that showcased an artist who dared to be different from the conformity in Dance music; it got encapsulated when the scenes were tearing up to “Lite Spots” off 99.9% in 2016, and as his production continued to stay on top, we kept listening, even via the ups and downs that came from it, like that of the Kaytranimé album with Aminé. Unfortunately, like Aminé’s delivery on that album, Kaytranada takes a step back with his new album, Timeless, which plays to the notions alluded to in the opening track, “Pressure,” where Kaytranada says, “KAYTRANADA/Classic, timeless/Hot damn,” becoming hyperbolic as the album comes to a close, you let it loop back realizing his definition of timeless is different than the expected. It rarely takes itself seriously enough to push past conventionalism in some dance influence, delivering more of the same without the zeal. That isn’t to negate quality, as the music has an underlying sense of self, and the featured artists give us something to latch onto as the beats can play it safe, as it can feel tried and unrefreshing.

Timeless is like previous albums by Kaytranada, but there are some pluses, like mixing quality and performances, as they seem to come as a saving grace, making the most of some safe beats that choose to keep a steady throughline instead of finding something unique to attach somewhere, like the tempo switches that came through cleanly on “Drive Crazy” off 99.9% or “Freefall” off Bubba, where the external influences brought something different to the fray, like the pop-R&B tinges of the latter. Though the production isn’t poor, it doesn’t catch me by the mouth like a hook on a fish, and it leaves me there waiting for something to pick up steam, which doesn’t come until “Dance Dance Dance,” and even there, it left me wanting as it runs swiftly at under two minutes. The album has ample highs and momentous lows that keep one from attaching to the grooves, even when the featured artist gives us something unique, like the solid feature with Anderson. Paak. or the groovy Childish Gambino feature that takes you back to the Redbone days via some solid witch house influence in the production.

Unfortunately, the inconsistency of Timeless makes listening through it more disappointingly difficult because Kaytranada has broached and paved a path where he takes the nuances of R&B performances and formulates something smooth and extravagant without all the glitz, and here it’s bland. He isn’t building something with the colorfulness of a kaleidoscope; instead, he is following the essence of a groove, which widens the potential for the electronic tinges edging the beats, which is inconsistent. One example comes with “More Than A Little Bit” with Tinashe. It’s much more of a Tinashe song than a Kaytranada as he morphs the beat to relay Hip-Hop/R&B sounds of the early 2010s tuned with some quality synths bridging parts together. Others include “Still” and “Weird,” two contrasting tracks that do similarly; the former taps into the minimalism and soulful notes that make Charlotte Day Wilson’s vocals shine while the latter feeds more into some unique funky grooves that elevate it to new heights as it matches the lush intensity of Durand Bernarr’s voice. However, these are just highlights within the whole complex of the album, which for lack of a better term, plays it safe to relativity.

Tracks “Call U Up,” “Feel A Way,” “Hold On,” “Seemingly,” “Spit It Out,” “Do 2 Me,” and the last three tracks are those where the production doesn’t move the needle, giving us something in line with sounds we’ve heard before; though, one can see some difference overall, it’s the tempo and cadences of the beats flow that push these sentiments, like “Do 2 Me” comes across as a typical Paak beat, or “Seemingly,” which has a basic funk groove that takes away from other elements on the production. It makes much of this album a disappointment because there is nothing unique to many of his grooves, so as much as Paak and SiR, Dawn Richards, and Lou Phelps come with hunger, the productions don’t match that creativity, leaving you high and dry wishing for something better for them, unlike “Seemingly,” that just expands the album unnecessarily. One positive comes from the instrumentals or rather the featureless tracks where Kaytranada takes it upon himself to push towards something unique as he does so for Channel Tres on “Drip Sweat.” “Please Babe” stands out, with the percussion clashing and clanking with grand amplification in the hits and synths, pushing it further as a minimalistic contrast to its live band vibe.

Timeless isn’t Timeless and is more of a constraint because it feels lazy on an overall scale, compared to what we’ve gotten in the past. It makes the journey with him feel less rewarding and ambitious being more of a disappointment. You see these collaborations and yearn for them to be great, but less than 50% of them are remotely memorable, so fans are left twiddling their thumbs waiting for the ball to drop into something amazing. I wouldn’t fully recommend this album, but at least there are some bops to listen to individuality.