At this point, California unit HEALTH are well-versed in the collaboration and crossover, and as a group these have arguably cemented them as a well-known name by opening up various avenues for discovery. 2012’s track “Tears” on the Max Payne soundtrack put the group on the ascent, with DEATH MAGIC following in 2015 giving an influx of new listeners something to indulge in. With various remixes under their belt since, such as the stunning remix of Purity Ring’s “Life“, HEALTH first fully explored in-studio collaboration with the first of the DISCO4 series in 2020. With the likes on Xiu Xiu, Soccer Mommy, Perturbator and Full of Hell coming in to work on the record, it offered up an eclectic mix tape of sorts that complimented HEALTH’s sound in various aspects. Sooner than expected the follow-on has arrived, once again with an impressive line-up of artists working on the record: Nine Inch Nails, Poppy and The Neighborhood to name a few.
As a record, DISCO4 :: PART II sandwiches its heavier moments between softer melodic tracks to open and close the album. Greeting us with two huge collaborations in “DEAD FLOWERS” featuring Poppy and “ISN’T EVERYONE” featuring Nine Inch Nails, there are moments of melancholic beauty contained in both tracks. From both from a vocal perspective, the vocals compliment each other wonderfully. Poppy’s almost eerie breathed vocals give “Dead Flowers” a haunting mood, with her harsh vocals coming in to play only adding to this. Follow on “ISN’T EVERYONE” with Nine Inch Nails is a dream collaboration to many and it delivers on that, gritty beats the track with both artists offering up their staple vocal performances. It’s a mosaic of sound, with closing lyrics “Are you alone? Isn’t everyone?” offering up some of HEALTH’s most caustic lyrics to date.
DISCO4 :: PART II’s mid-point is where the record’s heavier tracks are contained. After the melancholy soaked moments of the opening tracks, a quick course correction in “MURDER DEATH KILLS” featuring Ada Rook and Playthatboizay throw things into the deep end with witch screams and trap beats. This paired with the later on track “THE BODY” give the record its more hollow moments, with the atmosphere heading in a narrow and uninteresting direction. “COLD BLOOD” featuring Lamb of Good fails to align the two artist’s sounds and comes across sonically as listening to two separate tracks weirdly merged together. “COLD BLOOD” comparable quality on the track doesn’t hold up to what has already been seen on DISCO4 :: PART II and what is to come.
The latter third of DISCO4 :: PART II presents some interesting moments and familiar collaborations. While it does slightly overstay its welcome, “STILL BREATHING” featuring Ekkstacy has a depressing allure to it. With the paired vocals on the track having the feel of a conversation between the artist, the comforting words of HEALTH against Ekkstacy’s nihilistic lyricism. Within all this the track becomes hypnotic and desires relistening. HEALTH’s work with Perturbator has always been spectacular, with previous collaboration “BODY//PRISON” being one of the standout tracks on the previous record. This time HEALTH goes to work on the French artist’s track “Excess“, one of his finest from last year’s record Lustful Sacraments. The track takes another life form with HEALTH’s effort at it, the huge bassline offered by Perturbator giving “Excess” its spine, with HEALTH’s ethereal lyrics complimenting it perfectly. It’s difficult not to get drawn into the track with every aspect. The aforementioned bassline injects itself into the body and the lyricism consumes the mind.
“Terrible visions in my sleep
I can see your face again
Terrible visions and I’m awake
I can’t get away
Terrible visions as you speak
I can see you lying there dead
I can see you lying there“
As expected, DISCO4 :: PART II is a mixed bag, with some collaborations hitting the mark and some falling short of their intended. The record falls into some of the similar issues as its predecessor, with some tracks feeling too overblown or not fitting into HEALTH’s style. There are still some great moments to take away from DISCO4 :: PART II and each listener who enters into the record will find something different to take away from it due to its variety. The stronger tracks are the ones that compliment HEALTH’s style, either vocally or sonically, and these are the ones that will likely become staples of HEALTH’s discography.
7/10
DISCO4 :: PART II is out April 8th via Concord Records and you can pre-order it here.