The Singles Jukebox

…but not out?

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[4.18]

Micha Cavaseno: Personally, the alternate universe where for some reason, Radric Davis is replacing Camila Cabello in Fifth Harmony is particularly realistic to me. Look, the girls are doing a pretty decent follow-up to their previous singles here and I’m not mad at it, except now they’re filling in the parts they would normally have Camila be unnecessary themselves? But the presence of Gucci Mane as a weird compliment is perfectly fine. As a rapper that makes sense because he does more than adequate here without feeling like a drastic leap from his more straightforward material. But when you remember that, three years ago, Gucci was a trainwreck of drug addiction and jail sentences, it’s really something that these have been so thoroughly wiped away and now he’s on a fairly successful pop girl-group record. Can we extend this? Can we get maybe a series where the remainder of Fifth Harmony have to get chaperoned by ol’ Uncle LaFlare? Sounds like ratings gold to me.
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: Generic trap-DM made for maximum Spotify playlisting (which I suspect also explains what Gucci is doing here, happy for the paycheck). 
[2]

Ryo Miyauchi: Even with a verse from Gucci Mane, the summer-ready beat gives “Down” the feel of a 7/27 bonus track. That said, the plush sound draws more adult tenderness out of Fifth Harmony. They sound more grown singing this sincere play on words than any slick innuendo from their album last year.
[6]

Alfred Soto: The ship docks despite the rotting wood, weary passengers, and holes in the hull. Holding it together is the determination to hold it together. I can’t blame Fifth Harmony for persisting with this trop house bippety-bop, but it’s material this innocuous and indifferent that’ll kill the sound.
[3]

Jonathan Bradley: Now with their second album cycle completed, it’s clear what works for Fifth Harmony and what doesn’t. A big yes goes to kinetic blockbuster pop (“Sledgehammer”) and gimmick-driven sass (“Bo$$,” “Work From Home”), and a decided no to inexplicable guest choices and tropical dalliances. Apart from a rambunctious bass-rumble on a bridge that highlights just how disjointed Gucci Mane’s contribution is, “Down” is a disappointing successor to the similarly wan “All in My Head (Flex).” That freeze-dried dancehall rhythm can’t stir this song’s listlessly repeated title into anything resembling a hook.
[4]

Alex Clifton: There’s something to be said for a minimalist chorus. Whereas “Work from Home” was overstuffed (“you ain’t gotta go to work, work, work, work, work, work, work”), “Down” chills out and allows the melody some space with its hypnotic “down, down, down” chant. But with lines like “when push comes to shove, you show me love,” I have the impression their lovers are holding them back, especially if this is the most enthused they can sound about it. “Down” aims for “relaxed” but ends up veering dangerously towards “bored,” and I really wish 5H had picked a more upbeat number for their first post-Camila single.
[4]

Katherine St Asaph: Really, there was nothing on the hard drive you could edit Camila out of but the first draft of “Work from Home”? No rapper collaborations lined up but Gucci Mane? Wayne would be as much of a relic, but at least he might get something in like “down like the economy.”
[2]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: A painfully obvious rehash of “Work From Home” that was crafted to prove that Fifth Harmony haven’t changed much since Camila’s departure. The problem is that it’s bland and joyless; if the hook is anything to go by, the girls probably feel the same.
[3]

Ramzi Awn: The math on “Down” is so equational that there’s hardly room for error, which is, in the end, utterly boring. A missed opportunity to stay the band’s brand in a novel way. Also, someone already wrote a song about loving me down, and her name is Britney Spears. And don’t touch Rihanna’s cake either. 
[4]

Stephen Eisermann: This worked better when titled “Work from Home,” but it’s still better than Camila’s single, so I guess these girls won? 
[5]

Leah Isobel: “Work From Home” was a colossal, spacious banger about loneliness, the signature song that Fifth Harmony desperately needed. A year later and one member less, they seem less concerned with proving themselves; “Down” is a bright pop confection that’s begging to be played poolside. On the one hand, it pales in comparison to their past high. On the other, it’s way better than whatever Camila’s doing. I spent too much time as a kid riding in the backseat on the way to the water park to resist a song as feather-light and bouncy as this, even though the reasonable part of me knows that it’s kind of forgettable and will probably be irritating in three months. But isn’t dumb fun what summer is for?
[7]