Partynextdoor

The eponymous first release from Partynextdoor and Drake's OVO Sound imprint is quite true to its title. It's the soundtrack to a loud and faded gathering, but many will be just fine staying home. Given the success of Drake's other R&B co-sign, the Weeknd, comparisons are inevitable. But Partynextdoor finds himself in a similar vein as singer/rapper Future, mainly thanks to Auto-Tune's new artificial vibrato feature. Party leans heavily on this effect, with some enjoyable results. Production-wise, the mixtape is extremely well polished. Deep, rumbling bass accents the upfront 808 drums and rich melodies, fine-tuned for large sound systems. As depicted in "Right Now," this is the type of mid-tempo, aggressive R&B best suited to the strip club. One of the more interesting moments is the Miguel-sampling "Break From Toronto," where ladies are invited to escape Hog Town and experience the nightlife Mississauga has to offer (overcoming any notions of a downtown/suburban divide). Regrettably, the project is plagued with cringe-inducing lines, most notably the awful chorus in "Wus Good." Defenders will argue that it's par for the course for the lane Party is trying to occupy, but the serenade loses its efficacy when it's completely off-putting. We have come to expect a certain measured balance of celebration and maturity from October's Very Own, but as the initial OVO Sound release, this is an unfortunate departure from that norm.