The Backstreet Boys - DNA


The Backstreet Boys
DNA
2019
Spotify

Because they have become so ubiquitous we tend forget that the Backstreet Boys are not from any kind of backstreet whatsoever. Back in the late they tried to push this edgy vibe, like they were the bad boys of Boy Bands and good god was it stupid. But you should never count out nostalgia, because clearly people love reliving the past. The boys just finished an 80 day residency in Las Vegas that made them tens of millions of dollars and are about to embark on a world tour. Clearly people are still clamoring for the Backstreet Boys, but probably not clamoring for new music from them. From start to finish this record is a bore. The notes are lower, but the pop is exactly the same. Pulling influences from all contemporary sounds and blasting through their harmonized future and kablam you've got yourself a record. It's got to be pretty easy when you don't really have to write a note of your record, just show up and sing. The smart thing the Backstreet Boys do however is to not get so bogged down with their past on new albums. It would be easy for them to churn out reheated versions of "I Want It That Way" but they actually make an attempt to sound contemporary. It's wise because it brings some of the sounds those 40 something moms are hearing driving their kids around and pulls them through a group that they actually know and like. It's a sure fire way to make sure you've got thousands of screaming moms at every one of those tour stops.

For us however it makes for an album that sounds modern, but also completely hollow. They find nice grooves on tracks like "Passionate" and "New Love", like really nice grooves, but then the lyrics end up being generic as all hell. It makes you wish whoever actually wrote the songs might have kept them for another artist who really could have put some flavor on them. The thing about this album though, is that it is not egregious. The boys don't try rapping, they don't really stretch and they stay in their lane for the most part. They know what works for them and what works for their audience, so they stay there. It doesn't lead to a particularly exciting album, but it also doesn't make them seem like they are striving for something that is no longer there. They know they are never going to be the biggest band in the world again, and for them that seems ok. Don't expect to be blown away, you probably won't be adding any of these songs to playlists and this record certainly is not original, but it's just good enough to keep people interested. So I guess it's a success?

4.0 out of 10

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