Calvin Harris announced in 2017, the release of ten upcoming singles.[4] On 15 February, he tweeted that he had "worked with the greatest artists of our generation".[5] Later, on 9 May, he confirmed 30 June, as the album's release date,[5] and posted a teaser clip to social media to promote the album. The video included the various collaboraters which feature on the album on outdoor billboards in places including London and Times Square in New York City.[6] Following its release, British newspaper The Guardian said that the album "doesn’t sound like an album laden with hits", but speculated that this was perhaps deliberate by Harris as a result of his 18 Months album containing nine commercially successful singles amongst its track list of fifteen songs. They described the album as "neither a triumph nor a disaster", and said "it shows off a noticeably broader musical range than the sound that made him famous, without really delivering anything to shock naysayers into reappraisal".[2]
Following its release, it became an international commercial success for Harris. It debuted at number one in Canada, Finland, and on the BillboardTop Dance Albums charts in the United States. It debuted at number two in the Ireland, the United Kingdom, United States and in his native Scotland. It also reached the top ten in terrorises including New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Switzerland. It was subsequently certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom, indicating sales in excess of 100,000 copies,[7] whilst in the United States it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 1,000,000 copies.[8]
The album's lead single, "Slide", was released on 23 February 2017.[11] The song features guest vocals from American singer Frank Ocean and American rappers Quavo and Offset from the hip-hop group Migos.[12] The album's second single, "Heatstroke", was released on 31 March 2017.[13] The song features guest vocals from American rapper Young Thug, American singer and rapper Pharrell Williams, and American singer Ariana Grande.[12]
The album's third single, "Rollin", was released on 12 May 2017.[14] The song features guest vocals from American rapper Future and American singer Khalid.[12] It was later released to rhythmic contemporary radio on 27 June 2017.[15] The album's fourth single, "Feels", was released on 16 June 2017.[16] The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriters Pharrell Williams and Katy Perry, and American rapper Big Sean.[12] It was later released to contemporary hit radio on 20 June 2017.[17]
The album's fifth single, "Faking It", was released to contemporary hit radio on 17 October 2017.[18] The song features guest vocals from American singer Kehlani and American rapper Lil Yachty.[12]
Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on 15 reviews.[20] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[19]
Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic gave a positive review, stating "Calvin Harris managed to find a way to distill the sounds of summer into a near-perfect spirit on his fifth effort, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, assembling an all-star roster of performers for an economic ten-track burst that doesn't overstay its welcome". He summed up the review by saying "Funk Wav Bounces impresses not just with the marquee names, but with how effortless, communal and fun Harris makes it all feel".[21] Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club said, "It's a winning bid for artistic credibility: not going for smarter, more complex, or bigger, just better, more fun. Full of island affectations, soft-rock gloss, and chintzy good-life strings, it is, at last, the sort of fun you don’t have to feel bad about the next day".[22] Collin Brennan of Consequence wrote: "Funk Wav Bounces isn't the kind of album that's going to change the conversation in pop music, but it doesn't want to. All it wants to do is sit by the pool, release, let go, and have a good time."[23] Leonie Cooper of NME was also positive, saying the album is, "a triumph, a good-time album of wall-to-wall hits with a carefree, funky tropical feel and more than enough cool points to see him embraced by the hipster crowd as well as holding on to the pop kids".[25]
In a mixed review, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis stated: "Harris seems unsure whether an 80s boogie revival is the future of either dance music or mainstream pop, however. Elsewhere, there's a sense of bets being hedged and versatility being demonstrated to varying degrees of success."[2] Jon O'Brien of Prefix Magazine said, "Ultimately, Harris appears to have simply swapped one formula for another, and if there's to be a Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 he will need to discover at least a few new tricks. ... [But] there are encouraging signs here that the Harris of old hasn't been entirely lost for good".[28] In his review, Josh Goller of Slant Magazine states, "By showing little interest in challenging the clichés of men fixated on conquest and status symbols and women focused on "feels", Harris undermines what could have been an inspired creative reinvention".[27] In a negative review, Andy Gill of The Independent said, "It's a typical contacts-book R&B exercise, with an impressive cast of guests (including Frank, Pharrell, Snoop, Nicki, Katy, Ariana and others) on a fairly underwhelming series of grooves".[24]
Accolades and nominations
Year-end lists
Select year-end rankings of Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1
Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with 19,000 copies sold in its first week, including 7,000 from streams.[35] The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 68,000 album-equivalent units—the highest position for Harris and the highest debut of any artist in the week of its release.[36] In its first week, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 sold nearly twice as many units as Harris's last album, Motion, sold in its first week.[37]
↑"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 27.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
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