Single Review: Fifth Harmony – ‘Work From Home’
2 min read
The latest song from the hip-hop inflected pop group Fifth Harmony, Work from Home feels appropriately workmanlike. It’s a catchy, but not overly catchy track set to a trap-lite beat, featuring a currently buzzed-about rapper. It also has an unavoidably similar title and chorus to Rihanna’s recent smash hit, Work. The chorus of both songs is literally the word “work” chanted ad nauseam, although at a more deliberate pace in Work from Home.
The beat is fairly generic, by modern pop standards, with a heavy 808 bass line pulsing under a glittering, bouncy series of chords. There are some interesting squeaking sound effects in the second verse, but for the most part, it lacks distinction. The vocal melodies in the verses are satisfying, with lyrics about longing for someone whilst they are at work – “put in them hours / imma make it harder”. However, the chorus, outside of the aforementioned similarity to Work, just doesn’t sound interesting enough, especially given that the instrumental doesn’t meaningfully change during it.
Ty Dolla $ign is his usual charming self in his verse, but he sounds out of place in the bright and sunny track. His voice is usually deeply emotional, but the overly glossy production renders him into just another rapper name-dropping brands – “she ride it like a ’63 / I’mma buy her new Céline”. Work from Home feels like an utterly standard pop song; it’s perfectly listenable, and it’s adequately hummable, but it just doesn’t show any of the people involved as their best selves.
