It’s a common misconception that a song has to be original, break some barrier and sound like nothing on the market at that time in order to be good. “I Feel It Coming” is definitely the poster child for classic-sounding, comfortable modern music.
The song is a combination of the Weeknd’s crooning, soulful vocals and the synth-disco heaven that the whole world loved for Daft Punk’s 2013 collaboration with Pharrell and Nile Rodgers. The beat thrums throughout the entire length of the track, and the Weeknd’s voice is always gentle, never more than a sweet conversational level. This isn’t to say there isn’t passion. It’s beautiful in its understatement and blends together with the reproachful lyrics to create something that is a joy to listen to.
The lyrics are sensual and provocative, yet soothing, and all this while being something that you won’t possibly be able to get out of your head. Daft Punk sprinkles eclectic electronica throughout the track, keeping it up tempo and mostly very cool. This is a beautiful collaboration, where neither outshine the other and instead work together to make a song that’s all the better for both inputs.
Of course, it all sounds like something that has been written before several hundred times. This could very easily be a Michael Jackson hit, just with a far more advanced production value. Still, it’s hard to fault a song when it’s doing everything it does so very well, and when nothing to this standard on a joint effort has been produced since “Get Lucky” was around. “I Feel It Coming” just proves how important these two artists are in the modern-day music scene.