Generationwhy

Generationwhy is the debut studio album by electronic music producer ZHU, released on 29 July 2016 by Columbia Records.^[1] The album features works and vocals from the likes of Maya Angelou, Jaymes Young, Nylo, Mitch Bell, Nikola Bedingfield, Adam Schmalholz, and Broods. The album followed after the success of ZHU's collaborative debut EP Genesis Series, released in 2015.

Critical reception

Reviews have been mixed. The Guardian found Generationwhy an "at times, beguiling blend of mid-tempo electronic pop." Noting that ZHU successfully assimilated a lot of current Balearic dance music "influences into something distinctly his own", the review also argued that not all the songs transcended "the tropes of the genre that inspired them."^[2] Drowned in Sound was somewhat less impressed: "The album is essentially a series of enjoyable yet unremarkable house-pop songs." That being said the reviewer found some redeeming qualities, "Unlike many of these artists, Zhu includes what might be a surprising amount of 'live' instrumentation which generally add to the noir feeling."^[3] Soundfiction stated: "The music that makes up the entirety of Generationwhy lives in a dark, neo-noir aesthetic inspired world, giving listeners a blend of music that lies somewhere between the synth inspired sounds of the [']80s built on top of a deep house bassline with the vocal stylings of The Weeknd's House of Balloons mixtape." The review also judged that "Few, if any were expecting pop or bass driven sounds or a radio-type of style from Zhu, but many were probably hoping for something in the sounds of 'Faded' or 'Working for It', which unfortunately is sparsely found."^[4]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 109 on the Billboard 200, selling 3,000 copies in its first week. It also debuted at number one on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States.^[5]

Track listing

Notes

• "Intro (Neon City)" features un-credited spoken word from poetic writer Maya Angelou.
• "Cold Blooded" features un-credited vocals from Jaymes Young.
• "In The Morning" features sampled lyrics from Rui da Silva song "Touch Me".
• "Secret Weapon" features un-credited vocals from Nylo.
• "Reaching" features un-credited vocals from Nikola Bedingfield.
• "Hometown Girl" features un-credited vocals from Jaymes Young.
• "Good Life" features un-credited spoken word from Adam Schmalholz and un-credited vocals from Broods.

Charts

References