After what seemed like a success of a debut album, \”Money Sucks, Friends Rule\”, Dillon Francis is back with more new music, and has dropped his latest project, \”This Mixtape Is Fire\”. Going back to his roots, Francis\’ latest EP showcases some of Francis\’ older styles, and almost entirely branches away from the more melodic, and perhaps poppy, style that was pushed from his previous release. \”This Mixtape Is Fire\” is an EP filled with 6 all new collaborations, with 1 remix of \”I Can\’t Take It\”, which was on MSFR. Working with Skrillex, and Kygo to Chromeo and Bro Safari, \”This Mixtape Is Fire\” is jam-packed with new sounds, and exciting collaborations, and we\’ll break down every song for you down below, and give you a final verdict to decide where this mixtape is \”fire\” or not.
1. Dillon Francis – Bruk Bruk (I Need Your Lovin)
This was the first single released off the EP, which also coincided with the announcement of the project as well. This track has a very true Moombahton feel, which is Francis\’ signature style and one he has honed extremely well. The reception for this track in particular has been great, and has garnered a few million plays on SoundCloud. \”Bruk Bruk\” is a song that showcases the artist\’s original talent and style, which is nice, considering every artist nowadays wants to \”evolve\” their sound, which typically means following the hype.
2. Dillon Francis & Calvin Harris – What\’s Your Name
Talk about a mega collaboration. Not only is Calvin Harris one of the biggest names in the music industry right now, he\’s also pretty close friends with Francis, and this track is everything you\’d expect it to be and more. One of the personal favorites off the EP, Francis takes his Moombahton style up a notch and fuses his gnarly synths with a never-before-heard Calvin Harris sound. Adding an old-school breakdown for good measure, and a vocal sample right before the drop, it\’s safe to say this is a track that you can expect to hear everywhere – even with festival season coming to a close.
3. Dillon Francis & Skrillex – Bun Up The Dance
Originally the song that should have contained the \”Beats Steady Knockin\” vocals, long-time friends Dillon Francis and Skrillex decided to come together, and create something unique, and well, there are mixed feelings on this one. Although many fans are happy that Skrillex is actually releasing something with his name on it for once, it\’s not entirely what we would expect from a super amazing duo of this caliber. While I personally do agree that this could be so much better, and that we\’re not really hearing their full potential, I think that this song is not as bad as many are putting it out to be, and it\’s a perfectly good song to listen to every now and then.
4. Dillon Francis & Bro Safari – Pull It
If you\’re looking for something to go fuckin\’ nuts to, this is the one for you. \”Pull It\” contains a really high energy drop, that has gone off everytime Dillon Francis has played it out, including at this year\’s Lollapalooza. While it\’s definitely one of the more undershadowed releases from this EP, it\’s definitely not the least intense. I think it\’s safe to say this is up there one of my favorites from this EP, but I\’m not sure it has any replay value outside of the festivals or a show. Take a listen, and you\’ll know exactly what I mean.
5. Dillon Francis & Kygo – Coming Over (feat. James Hersey)
If not my favorite song from this EP, it\’s probably one of my favorite Dillon Francis songs of all time. First circulating the internet back in April, both DF & Kygo fans have been obsessed with this one, and with good reason. This is the only \”chill\” song on this EP, but it\’s the only one that\’s needed. With high replay value, a stellar sample, and just all around good vibes, this is definitely a contestant for song of the Summer.
6. Dillon Francis – Lies (feat. Chromeo)
What seems more of like an interlude you\’d hear in a rap album from 2006, \”Lies\” is nothing worth listening to, unless you really need to curb your hunger for some Daft Punk, because this sounds like an old DP demo. I don\’t mean to be harsh, but chances are, you probably won\’t like it. While Chromeo kills the vocals, and Francis showcases his musical diversity, I don\’t think that this song really fits the EP.
7. Dillon Francis – I Can\’t Take It (Party Favor Remix)
I was a huge fan of \”I Can\’t Take It\” from \”Money Sucks, Friends Rule\”, but I was not a huge fan of this remix. I didn\’t think it was bad, actually, I just couldn\’t find myself enjoying it, sitting at home on my computer. It\’s a perfectly good song for the festivals, but it just doesn\’t carry the replay value that all of the other songs do. Albeit many people are still enjoying it, so you probably shouldn\’t take my word for this one.
So is this mixtape fire? I\’d say it\’s in between getting the fire started and some Smokey Bear-type shit – so most likely.
All in all, I\’m a fan of Dillon Francis, and I\’m not too mad at this EP. There\’s definitely a group of people that are letdown with this release, especially considering how long it\’s been promoted and anticipated, but beggars can\’t be choosers, and I think this was a great showcase of Francis\’ work, and has plenty of songs that can cater to a variety of different tastes. That being said, I am anticipating some of Francis\’ upcoming work, however, this will hold me over until that comes.
\”This Mixtape Is Fire\” is available to purchase via iTunes, and available to stream via Spotify or above.
