The Singles Jukebox

We return to Haifa Wehbe after six years, and we’re thinking of six years ago…

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[5.17]

Iain Mew: It’s been a while since I heard a hard-shelled “Animals” drop, and the return of those sounds is a pleasure in itself. It’s not the most obvious thing to work a dense pop single around, and this is really dense, but Wehbe pulls it off with an intensity that holds the pieces together.
[7]

Will Rivitz: The unfortunate consequence of the “____ will never die” trend, where any electronic music subcategory can be pasted in regardless of whether that subcategory is worth keeping alive, is that one can reasonably insert “big room house” here; thus, here we are, with a song that, while admittedly well-produced, should have been released half a decade ago.
[4]

Jonathan Bradley: It’s not that I mind the schlocky throwback thump; it’s that Wehbe seems to know “Wa7eshny” is a more intricate and delicate song than can bear that Bruckheimer squelching. Better to go all in on the one-in-the-morning-and-the-drinks-cost-how-much vibe than to suppose that mere half measures of a pinging riff that cavernous permit space for anything else.
[5]

Ian Mathers: I still think that intro builds dramatically enough that this would be stronger if it just exploded from there, but the semi-slow burn is totally sustainable too and the dynamics are pretty well handled aside from that.
[7]

Will Adams: It’s a pleasant surprise for big room house in 2018 to somehow sound fresh — big credit for this goes to Haifa Wehbe’s performance. But a key ingredient of the genre, aside from the thwacks and the bloops and the wubs, is a clear structure. Without that, “Wa7eshny” has difficulty cultivating any satisfying energy or release.
[6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Haifa Wehbe’s vocals are key: a moody contrast to the militant drop that dominates “Wa7eshny.” They grant the song a softer edge compared to most big room house tracks, and they have the uncanny ability of making the instrumental-only parts feel relatively introspective. Is it enough to make the sorely dated, one-note tricks of this genre feel any more palatable? Sadly not.
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