To me, SF9 have all the time come throughout as musical chameleons. Their materials is reliably polished and well-performed however doesn’t all the time have a definite musical character. As an alternative, they flit between genres and infrequently land on a winner. January’s Bibora was a type of fortunate attracts, gifting the fellows a glossy dancepop confection that went on to rule my winter playlists. Switching seasons, the fellows are again to a summery consolation zone with Don’t Fear, Be Blissful.

No, this isn’t a canopy of the enduring Bobby McFerrin observe (thank goodness). It’s a vibrant, breezy funk observe that sacrifices ambition for clean grooves. We’ve heard this frothy summer time sound from many boy teams prior to now, together with SF9 themselves. It’s mild and amiable but hardly ever manages to go away an enduring mark. Given the suitable melodies and bopping instrumental, this sonic brew can lead to an surprising basic, however too typically the music merely coasts by.

“Coasts” is an effective phrase to explain Don’t Fear, Be Blissful. It’s infinitely nice and received’t go amiss on any playlist. I can’t assist however nod alongside whereas listening to it, but it surely by no means reaches out and grabs me by the collar (not that I’m carrying collars throughout the summer time months!). Its brass-kissed beat provides an easy-listening funk whereas the percussion hits a bit tougher. Much less generic melodies would have complimented this mix, however the track simply isn’t that bold. Nevertheless, Don’t Fear, Be Blissful builds to a satisfying climax and of all of the comebacks launched at present it most likely has the very best likelihood of rising on me.

Grade: B