Major Lazer
Apocalypse Soon
3/5

Apocalypse Soon carries on Diplo’s mantra of making his music “feel like a party”, and if the island-inflected and insanely fun Free The Universe was the main event, then one year later this EP is the after party that just won’t end.

These days it could be argued that Pharrell Williams is more famous for his amazing ability to never age, rather than rap. However the catchy opener ‘Aerosol Can’, driven by a sexed-up simple beat, see’s the poster boy of collaboration remind the world that he can do both, and very well. ‘Come On To Me’, featuring reggae king (and everybody’s guilty pleasure) Sean Paul, delivers three minutes and thirty seconds of instant sunshine in a track that was designed to get the dance floor moving and prove Diplo’s prowess as a purveyor of tropical goodness.

For those who can’t handle the pace of constantly swimming in a cocktail of Caribbean dancehall flavour blended with reggae, Apocalypse Soon offers no welcome relief. ‘Dale Asi (feat Mr. Fox)’, although a slowed-down take on the previous island party pace, offers little in the way of aid owing to an overload of air horns and assaultive Jamaican vocals. Although an enjoyable twenty minutes of island antics, the EP lacks versatile listening, which is a lost opportunity given the previous globetrotting success of the stripped down single, ‘Get Free’.

It’s safe to say that Apocalypse Soon confirms Diplo’s dancehall alter ego as the go-to guy for summer festival songs and simply put, good-time vibes.

Laurel Nicholson