''Generationwhy'' is the debut studio album by American electronic music producer
Zhu, released on July 29, 2016 by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The album features works and vocals from the likes of
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...
,
Jaymes Young
Jaymes Young (born Jaymes McFarland; September 1, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. On September 9, 2013, he debuted his first extended play, ''Dark Star''. His debut album ''Feel Something'' was released on June 23, 2017.
Ca ...
, Nylo, Mitch Bell,
Nikola Bedingfield,
Adam Schmalholz, and
Broods. The album followed after the success of ZHU's collaborative debut
EP ''Genesis Series'', released in 2015.
Critical reception
Upon release, ''Generationwhy'' received mixed reviews. ''The Guardian'' found ''Generationwhy'' an "at times, beguiling blend of mid-tempo electronic pop." Noting that ZHU successfully assimilated a lot of current Balearic dance music "influences into something distinctly his own", the review also argued that not all the songs transcended "the tropes of the genre that inspired them."
Drowned in Sound was somewhat less impressed: "The album is essentially a series of enjoyable yet unremarkable house-pop songs." That being said the reviewer found some redeeming qualities, "Unlike many of these artists, Zhu includes what might be a surprising amount of 'live' instrumentation which generally add to the noir feeling."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 109 on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 3,000 copies in its first week. It also debuted at number one on the
Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States.
Track listing
Notes
* "Intro (Neon City)" features uncredited spoken word from poetic writer
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...
.
* "Cold Blooded" features uncredited vocals from
Jaymes Young
Jaymes Young (born Jaymes McFarland; September 1, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. On September 9, 2013, he debuted his first extended play, ''Dark Star''. His debut album ''Feel Something'' was released on June 23, 2017.
Ca ...
.
* "In the Morning" features sampled lyrics from "
Touch Me" by
Rui da Silva.
* "Secret Weapon" features uncredited vocals from Nylo.
* "Palm of My Hand" features uncredited spoken word from Valentine Baran.
* "Reaching" features uncredited vocals from
Nikola Bedingfield.
* "Hometown Girl" features uncredited vocals from Jaymes Young.
* "Good Life" features uncredited spoken word from Adam Schmalholz and uncredited vocals from
Broods.
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2016 debut albums
Columbia Records albums