The Singles Jukebox

Another fifth of Fifth Harmony, so does this make Normani one twenty-fifth?

[Video]
[6.29]

Katherine St Asaph: Even more so than “Love Lies,” a masterclass in how far you can go on atmospherics alone. Technically speaking, “Waves” has many problems: the second verse being a clown car of rhymes for “ocean”; Normani’s otherwise excellent vocal breaking the mood toward the end with oversinging; 6LACK’s 6EING himself. But the song is palpably stormy, practically humid with tension. Interesting how three out of five Fifth Harmony members have foregone the mandatory confidence of the band’s work for material with trouble and nuance, and thus real feeling.
[8]

Ian Mathers: The contrast in the production between those opening round, rich, almost woodblock-y tones to the dark, fuzzy squelch of the synth, the unobtrusive but interesting drum programming… it’d take some actively bad performances to make “Waves” sound bad, and neither participant here messes that up. Maybe there’s a little less personality than would be really ideal, but both nail the theme of the song in ways that dovetail with the really excellent backing. I can already tell this is going to be a bit of an earworm.
[8]

Nortey Dowuona: Pulsing, throbbing bass sleeps beneath the washed out, hazy synths while the crumbling, tumbling drums rumble as Normani deftly skips atop them while a mists of guitars drift by as she then takes flight, before dropping back down to keep skipping, still waiting for the break to truly leap while 6lack drifts up from the water, blowing out another cloud of guitar that Normani leaps off into the sky proper, taking flight and hovering, before finally making for the open ocean.
[8]

Thomas Inskeep: It’s TOO SLOW. And also too fucking dull.
[2]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: The sounds of actual waves lead the way for a digital ocean of sound. Jonah Christian’s production is so attuned to the lyrical conceit that Normani’s vocalizing wouldn’t even be necessary to transmit how she’s feeling. Still, she makes her presence feel vital. This is the first time that hearing a pop song felt like looking out to a pitch-black ocean, ineffably drawn to the fear and wonder of its ebb and flow.
[7]

Tobi Tella: They both sound really good, but I don’t think I’m strong enough for another “I hate you then I love you!” song. Can we get songwriters another topic, please?
[5]

Will Adams: The first half is electrifying: Normani rides the spiky beat effortlessly enough to warrant an album’s worth of spacious R&B. But then the production falls back for some reason, and the song ebbs into a pleasant middle ground.
[6]