I was originally going to review Andy Black’s “Stay Alive,” but it was so bad that I decided to listen to Alesso’s latest single, “I Wanna Know.”
Now, let it be known that I’m not the biggest fan of EDM/dance music; I think it serves a fleeting purpose. Each EDM song has a lifespan of a few months at most before it vanishes into an irrelevant abyss — I personally don’t know of anyone who still listens to Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” or Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” — in fact, these may be the only EDM/dance songs some of you can name off the top of your head.
However, music isn’t always about the ephemeral. Sometimes it’s okay for a kind of shitty song to be amazing in that it captures a moment, a time in your life. Thirty years from now, I doubt future generations will listen to “Wake Me Up” or “Don’t You Worry Child,” but if any of us happen to listen to them again, they’ll remind us of the days when that’s all the radio played.
And I think that’s the purpose Alesso’s latest single serves. “I Wanna Know” isn’t a “great” song. It won’t stand the test of time, the majority of the world will probably hate it and there’s no question that it lacks substance and creativity. But it’s catchy and being “catchy” is paramount in 2016.
With a staccato guitar intro that eases into the techno beat those Swedish DJs have perfected so well, “I Wanna Know” is the ultimate summer jam. Perfect for pool parties, driving with your windows down or just smoking kush with some friends, Alesso knows how to get you vibing. And with the right remix this song will be played at every club and bar over the summer; it may even be the song of the summer. But that’s just it — it will only be the song of the summer, if that, because at the end of the day it’s just not a great song. And let’s be real, great songs are all that really matter.