Dillon Francis keeps pace on top of electronic music

It is hard to ignore the featured artist list on Dillon Francis’s new album Money Sucks, Friends Rule, but it is even harder to ignore any of the hits that have been released off the album in the last few weeks. With everyone from Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie to Major Lazer and DJ Snake, Money Sucks, Friends Rule is already a strong contender for the best electronic album of the year.

Bright light · One of the brightest stars of Diplo’s Mad Decent label, Dillon Francis has released a banger of a debut album with Money Sucks, Friends Rule with a series of hits that play well by themselves and in tandem. – Photo courtesy of Mad Decent

There’s been a growing contingent of American electronic music artists of late, and Dillon Francis is, along with some of his features, at the forefront right now. His first studio album is full of bangers, but I would expect nothing less from the Mad Decent artist.

Mad Decent, a record label spearheaded by electronic music godfather Diplo, has a history of producing some of the world’s top dance acts. Dillon Francis is joined by the likes of RiFF RAFF, DJ Snake and many others on the label, putting him in a strong position to release Money Sucks, Friends Rule, and it does not disappoint.

Because of the “one-hit wonder” nature of the genre, it is odd to review an electronic music album, but our culture is in the middle of a tech boom, and even popular music has become digital. If there ever was a time to review electronic music, this would be it, as the Billboard Hot 100 features a slew of electronic artists — and it doesn’t seem like the genre is leaving the mainstream any time soon. Francis is one such artist in the mainstream, and he’s put together hits that can not only stand alone, but work cohesively together, which is rare in electronic music. It is easy to put this album on and party all the way through, and each track can also be dropped into a playlist and hold its own.

“Get Low” is probably the strongest song on the album, as Francis collaborated with DJ Snake, the brains behind the white girl anthem of 2013, “Turn Down For What.” It is simple, with only one line, “Get low when the whistle blow,” but it has all the makings of a Euro-club banger, complete with booming bass, that unforgettable hook and a horn section modelled after Arabian dance music that is impossible to get out of your head. A clip of a DJ Snake yelling “Yalla Habibi,” an Arabic phrase used here to beckon a girl to the dance floor, can be heard throughout.

In contrast to the more traditionally electronic “Get Low,” “Love in the Middle of a Firefight” features full verses and a chorus from the uniquely voiced Brendon Urie, lead singer of everyone’s middle school favorite, Panic! At The Disco.

Though Panic! has fallen off in the Billboard charts since their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Urie and the scenester rock band have continued to make fresh music, and scored a hit on the charts again with last year’s “Miss Jackson.”

Obviously Urie has kept busy, and lending his voice to Francis’s track feels like a fresh take on an old classic. The track is a slow anthem packaged perfectly for radio success, which I would normally use to discredit a song, as radio these days is feeling increasingly stale. This song, however, has something indescribably fresh. Assuming radio stations don’t beat us over the head with it for the next year, it will stay on my short list of solid driving tunes.

Last on the list is “Drunk All the Time,” a love song that also serves as a commentary on today’s culture. The simple bass beats and Daft Punk-esque instrumentals are solid, and singer Simon Lord’s vocals are perfect, but what really makes this track a hit is the relatable lyrics about love in today’s world.

The chorus repeats “Being with you / I feel drunk all the time,” a contrast to love songs from a previous era. Today’s culture often praises hookup culture, which, however negatively you may see it, is a part of many students’ lives. This song is a positive portrayal of a drunk hookup, and though some may disagree, there is nothing wrong with the concept. It describes a love story in modern times, and features a beautifully crafted backing track, making this song an instant hit.

Dillon Francis has a strong following, especially considering this is his first actual album, and it is probably because of how in tune he is with today’s culture. Electronic dance music is still the genre of the times, and Francis’s Money Sucks, Friends Rule, is a great starter album if you’re just getting into it.

Matt Burke is a sophomore majoring in film production. His column, “Notes on Notes,” runs Thursdays.