Fifth Harmony - Fifth Harmony

The Guardian 60

(Syco)

Having been reduced to a four-part harmony following the departure of Camila Cabello, US girl band Fifth Harmony’s self-titled third album simultaneously feels like a statement of intent and a hastily cobbled together swansong. There are flashes of brilliance, on the low-slung, sweaty R&B of He Like That (which samples MC Hammer), Don’t Say You Love Me’s airy heartbreak and the Skrillex-assisted Angel, which features scattergun drum-claps slowly distorting into a head-spinning cacophony. Unfortunately, there are also some real “will this do?” moments spread over the album’s streamlined 30 minutes, most notably lazy lead single Down’s basic facsimile of last year’s excellent Work From Home. Overall, a mixed bag.

Pitchfork 53

Now down to a quartet, the group’s latest album falls short of the kind of stellar pop songwriting they once possessed.