Having returned in 2018 at Ultra Music Festival, the anticipation for new music from Swedish House Mafia was at an all-time high. It would take another 3 years, 9 years after their final release for the trio to bring us new music in the form of double release ‘It Gets Better’ and ‘Lifetime’ with Ty Dolla $ign & 070 Shake, showcasing a brand new style of music in the process. Since then, the trio of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello would dominate the airwaves with the releases of ‘Moth To A Flame’ with The Weeknd and ‘Redlight’ with Sting as they built towards the full release of their debut album which has now finally been unveiled to the world.
Wasting no time getting into their new sound, the album kicks off with ‘Time’ featuring Mapei. A track built around an infectious bassline, this one has house flavors sprinkled throughout with subtle melodic tones, kicking this album off perfectly. ‘Heaven Takes You Home’ featuring Connie Constance is next up and this one blew us away. Spoken about as the favorite of the album by SHM lovers online, this one showcases a more melodic house style, letting the vocals do the talking for the majority. Taking a different route, the pian-driven instrumental ‘Jacob’s Note’ then leads us into ‘Moth To A Flame’.
If you haven’t noticed already, ‘Paradise Again’ fully debuts that fresh and innovative sound that the Swedes have been teasing ever since their return in 2018. The album then takes a darker turn as the instrumental single ‘Mafia’ comes up. A slow-tempo, deep bass-driven single that bridges us perfectly into the hotly anticipated ‘Frankenstein’ with A$AP Rocky.
Bringing us back to four-on-the-floor, next up we’ve got ‘Don’t Go Mad’ featuring Seinabo Sey, a high-tempo single which focuses on disco grooves to carry the single. Album titled single ‘Paradise Again’ is up next and this instrumental single showcases just how melodic these three can get before they head into ‘Lifetime’.
‘Calling On’ and ‘Home’ follows up and they don’t disappoint either, with Swedish House Mafia taking a deep melodic route, further showcasing their production prowess before we go to ‘It Gets Better’ and ‘Redlight’. Next up is ‘Can You Feel It’, a dancefloor smash that is built around rising pitched synths. The 17-track album is then rounded out with the amazing singles ’19;30′, ‘Another Minute’, and ‘For You’.
Described by the trio as the music they truly want to make and be known for, ‘Paradise Again’ is an outstanding album from start to finish.
