When Far East Movement dropped Identity in early October, they dropped eleven songs of all sorts of genres, each featuring artists of different specialties from around the globe.

In an interview with Billboard, FM said that they’ve always had an issue with Identity. As Asian Americans, they said that oftentimes the US think that they belong to Asia, and those who’ve made their home in Asia see them as foreigners. In Identity, Far East Movement set out with the idea of unifying the world across different races and cultures through music. And honestly, I think that there is something for everyone here.

“Fighter” was an interesting way to start the album. This softer pop ballad lets the vocals take center stage, backed up with a nice rhythm and a mix of guitar and blended background vocals. Out of all the songs, it probably has the lightest touch of electric. It’s message of being willing to push through troubled times with the people you love is enough to send chills down your back at the first listen. It’s almost as far as you can get from their base pumping Like a G6. It tells fans of the newer direction they’re taking with this album.

Taking a sharp turn, “Freal Luv” is when you get smacked in the face with electric. This was the first song I heard from the album and the electronic and unique vocals of featured singer Tinashe is what led me to Identity in the first place. As the name already implies, the lyrics are a bit muddy. ‘For real love’ becomes ‘Freal Luv’ and ‘my realla’ probably means ‘my real love’. Also, they threw some korean in there to confuse you. It’s a fun song that gives off a strong Clean Bandit vibe.

“FV-R” keeps with the electric pop trend, as well as the trend of grammatically nonsensical titles. It’s not nearly as dynamic as “Freal Luv” and is a bit more repetitive. In true electronica fashion, it’s vocals are more of an instrument than a vehicle for words with actual meaning. So don’t look too far into this three minute aggressive repetition of ‘foreva’. Not my favorite, but it still carries the nice, organic sound of the rest of the album.

Basically, “Church” is everything you might have liked from “Take Me to Church” and none of what you didn’t. This song has a far less aggressive approach than it’s cousin of simila name and nature. It plays smooth and is easy on the ears. Interestingly, upon the first listen, the run on lyrics makes this song feel much slower than it actually is. If you you focus on the beat, the pacing is far faster than you might have initially thought.The juxtaposition between the easy instrumentals and pacing of

the percussions leaves for a dynamic listen that’ll have you bopping and swaying intermittently.

“Don’t Speak” returns to pop, where the vocals and electric background play a game of give and take. The song begins with a focus on the vocals, but don’t be fooled. The electronica builds up slowly until it breaks out fully in the chorus and takes center stage. The entire song keeps building your anticipation without hitting you in the face too hard with the electric like so many others do. The soft and subtle touch that is a trademark of this album makes this another song that toes the line between relaxing and raving.

“SXWME” is the first tue rap song on this album. Even so, from the very beginning, the roboticized voice lets you know that this is still well within the realm of electronica. The title, which means ‘sex with me’, once again tells you exactly what you should expect. If you look up any rap about sex, that’s pretty much what the lyrics are. Not really my cup of tea, but the heavily autotuned chorus does make it for a more interesting listen.

“Umbrella” is one of two korean songs on the album. And I can already hear you freaking out because ‘if it’s in korean, I won’t understand what they’re saying.’ But like many of the other songs on this album, the vocals are used more like an instrument than anything else. If you can get past the foreign words, you’ll find another really lovely, sweet pop ballad with stunning vocals. The background is comprised by some pretty guitar and a slow slapping rhythm. Much more simple and clean than some of the other songs.

If you are a fan who was missing the heavy hip hop from some of FM’s older songs, then “Double Dip” is the song for you. As the lyrics say, it’s “double down, double lit” and really alot to take at once. Honestly, though, it’s very straightforward, basically all percussion. Even the rap is a precise form of percussion in and of itself. No instrumentals, no vocals. If you’re sensitive to strong language, you really shouldn’t listen to this, or FBG$, or any other form of rap now that I think about it. Regardless, this song is a nice bit of homage to the fans who’ve been there for the long haul.

“FBG$” is the third rap song. The chorus, “F**k B**ches, Get Money” pretty much sums up this song. It has a relatively smooth tone to it, from the instrumentals to the rhythm. The rap pretty low as well, though they contrasts strongly with the slow chorus. The rhythm is pretty tame and is another relatively uncomplicated song.

“Forever Survivor” is an electric soul ballad that plays your emotions like a fiddle. If you’ve been looking for lyrics with meaning, then this is the song for you. This is also the most unique song because of it’s vocalist Macy Gray. Her voice is honestly so different from everything else you’ll hear on this album. It adds a world wise tone to the song and makes the lyrics of perseverance so much more personable. Per the usual, the electronica still creeps in during the refrain to tie the whole album together. Honestly, I thought it was the perfect way to wrap up the album. Only, it wasn’t the last song to play.

Honestly, if I thought that “Forever Survivor” was a gentle farewell, then “Fortress” is a profound conclusion to an epic journey. As the second korean song, and also the last song in the album, it goes back to alot of the same sounds we saw in “Fighter”. This perfectly bookends the entire album into a nice little package. The song on it’s own is uplifting, making you think of strength and community and standing together as one, which was the entire point of this album.

Now, I may not know much about music, but I know what I like. And I love this album. For me, Identity’s sound is really organic and earthy, despite being heavily electronic. It’s the sort of music I put on in the background while painting or writing or going out to do errands. Plus, the album cover is pretty darn dank.

Overall, there wasn’t a single weak link I could see in this album. Sure, there were some that I didn’t like as much as the others, but those will probably grow to be the favorite of someone else with a different taste than me. Each song has a stellar background that pairs well with the vocals. The ballads are moving, the club songs make you want to dance, and while I’m not well versed in rap, my friends who are have assured me that it’s properly ‘lit’. One friend said ‘they take you on a trip’. And really, that’s the best way to describe it.

Plus, the album cover is pretty dope.

Fans will miss:

Since FM has produced alot of singles, fans may be more familiar with one particular sound.

The heavy hip hop vibe from Like a G6 or the smooth pop from Live My Life and Rocketeer both may have given fans a certain expectation for Identity.

Fans will love:

The variety and exploration of this album that will leave everyone with a different favorite.

Must Listens:

“Freal Love”, “Fighter”, “Forever Survivor”, “Fortress”