Review: Hardwell 'United We Are'

Image: Hardwell 

We were all strapped in for a fusillade of stadium chiselled synths, ram-raiding kick drums and colossal collabs bottled up into a tirade of enraptured progressive house. Hardwell's debut album United We Are, as expected, purveyed all of that.

But not for the entirety, as it featured unexpected elements of gentler house, which proved to be a welcome break from the four minute long ear bashings from music fabricated solely for the dance space.

In the midst of the electrifying chasm, peppered with gargantuan drops, Hardwell instils a tamed dynamic via an acoustic cut of 'Dare You' and down tempo cameo from Mr Probz. 'Where Is Here Now' provides an alien fleck of deep house from the Dutchman, and there's a vocal instalment from Jason Derulo.

Formidable hook ups include the likes of Tiesto and W&W with Fatman Scoop equipping the album with an 'in case of emergency' button. Amba Shepard lends her vocals to 'United We Are', a trademark cut that expectingly provides the cornerstone to an album that will undoubtedly soundtrack arenas throughout this year and beyond, with righteous reason.    

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