After a five year wait, French duo Justice are back with their new album “Woman”. While still holding onto their staple intense and dirty synth sound, “Woman” also explores new avenues of merging beats and melodies together, creating the most cohesive sound for Justice yet.
The album begins with what I found to be the most memorable song of them all, ‘Safe and Sound.’ From the rich atmospheric and otherworldly instrumental at the start, to the haunting choir-like vocals that are then joined by one of the funkiest bass lines I’ve heard in a while, the song brings a lot to the table. The layers are made all the more entrancing midway when a string line weaves its way in and starts interacting with the other elements whilst also mirroring the vocals, creating all the more depth.
After such a strong start, one is excited to see what else Justice created. A consistent theme throughout the entirety of the album is that of an encapsulating and overwhelming desire to dance and groove. However, while this is a wonderful sensation, it does at times feel like songs blend into one another and in themselves become repetitive. The songs are never unpleasant to listen to, but at times feel like they hover along the line of just being okay. Radiating bass lines can be found on essentially every song of the album (which I am deeply grateful for), but songs like ‘Randy’ and ‘Close Call’ stand out in their incorporation of percussion, something that doesn’t frequently occur on “Woman.” As someone who loves the underlying depth that drums can add to a song, ‘Randy’ was another memorable piece on the album for me. The song also boasts some of the best vocals on the album, with an entrancing falsetto weaving its way through the melodies.
When Justice surprise you and bring twists and turns to their songs, they do it in a big way. I found ‘Chorus’ to be one of the most complex and multifaceted songs on the album, with each listen of it allowing me to discover something new and exciting. The song goes from an overwhelming multitude of synth and electronic discourse alongside transfixing otherworldly vocals to a calmer piano interlude, that is then topped off with a return to the earlier electronic nature but now alongside an unexpected and intense layer of guitar pulsating alongside it.
Overall, while I would have enjoyed more variety being present on the album, the listening experience was solid and exciting. Justice created an album full of enticing depth and textures, and I’d recommend it to anyone in search of something groovy to listen to. “Woman” is available for purchase on iTunes and on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify.
Edited by: Jess Greaney
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_(band)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_(Justice_album)