One More Light,
Linkin Park's seventh set, is a divisive and brazen statement from a band that already does not shy away from fearless experimental leaps. From the rap focus on
Collision Course and the
Fort Minor side project to the electronic
A Thousand Suns and their remix albums, Linkin Park have balanced an empire built upon pain and angst with an admirable dose of cross-genre dabbling. Which is why
One More Light shouldn't come as such a surprise. And yet, the album remains a jarring follow-up to 2014's muscular
The Hunting Party and an overall curve ball in their catalog. Recruiting electronic pop producers like
Julia Michaels,
Justin Tranter,
Jesse Shatkin, and RAC, Linkin Park made a pop album. For the first time, the band sounds happy and content, including bright tropical notes and even some "na na na" choruses. The closest they toe to rock is "Talking to Myself," which has discernable live drumming from
Rob Bourdon and guitar licks from
Brad Delson. Otherwise,
One More Light is mostly concerned with triumphant anthems ("Battle Symphony" and "Invisible") and heartfelt confessions ("Sorry for Now" and "Halfway Right") that end up sounding like
the Chainsmokers blended with
Twenty One Pilots. Highlights include "Good Goodbye" with rappers
Pusha T and
Stormzy, which comes close to their past aggressive sound. The
Kiiara-assisted lead single "Heavy" is an undeniably catchy dose of radio-friendly pop that dares listeners to sing along. Here, Linkin Park actually lay out the entire plot of this endeavor by asking "Why is everything so heavy?" With the bandmembers all hovering around their forties, they've matured and fully expect fans to do the same, taking huge steps away from the nü metal that established them in the early 2000s. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
