“Petrichor,” the word used to describe the pleasant scent that accompanies rain after a dry season, is 070 Shake’s third studio album, perfectly named as it is her first major release in over two years. The musician dropped her album on Friday, Nov. 15.
Shake, also known as Dani Balbuena, is a 27-year-old hip-hop artist who has been featured on albums by many popular artists, such as Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Raye. Regarding her own work, Shake debuted her first solo album in 2020 and has been active since. Shake’s music best falls under the hip-hop category, with components of alternative, rock and pop. Artists like Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Paramore and My Chemical Romance — as scattered as this list may seem — have been said by Shake to be her major influences.
Promoted heavily on social media by Shake and her girlfriend, model and actress Lily-Rose Depp, “Petrichor” was highly anticipated by fans. Opening the album is “Sin,” a dynamic song, bouncing between a hip-hop and rock sound. The entire album demonstrates this beautiful conflict, managing to seamlessly merge the two genres together.
“Elephant” takes a slight turn, veering more into pop, reminiscent of an ‘80s dreamy sound. The song has an underwhelming start, but picks up as it goes on. The same goes for track three, “Pieces of You,” which pulls itself back into Shake’s signature electronic usage.
Smoothly transitioning to “Vagabond,” Shake lightens the mood with guitar and lyrics of love. “Vagabond” consists of frequent tempo changes, symbolizing the consequences and benefits of being enthralled by someone else, which she sings about. Themes of change and acceptance are common on the album and stand out in this song.
“Lungs” serves as a brief and unnecessary interlude for one of the best tracks on the album, “Into Your Garden.” Upon a first listen, “Lungs” is a minute of aggressive speech that the album could have done perfectly fine without.
As previously mentioned, following this interlude is “Into Your Garden,” a romantic song accompanied by beautiful piano instrumentals and religious imagery by Shake. Shake’s voice sounds raw in this song and showcases her singing voice as opposed to rapping. The song also has a short feature by JT from the group City Girls, which honestly feels out of place, but is brief enough for it to work. “Into Your Garden” is your perfect Lana Del Rey meets Rihanna — containing a blend of beauty, pain, allusive lyrics and soul.
Next up, “Battlefield” is more playful, upbeat and fun. Dramatics play far less into this song than the prior. “Winter Baby / New Jersey Blues,” the album’s lead single, with the music video featuring Lily-Rose Depp, follows the same playful theme. The song opens with a Beach Boys-esque chorus and builds into a heavier sound. The lyrics discuss Shake’s home state, New Jersey, which she carries with her, as the name 070 is an ode to her former Jersey zip code.
With an unexpected feature from rock singer, Courtney Love, “Song to the Siren” is not very memorable. Other than hearing the ex-Hole singer use a synthesizer, there is really nothing special about this track.
“What’s Wrong With Me” expresses feelings of self-doubt on a more traditional hip-hop sound for the artist. Shake uses this song as a confession, delving more into negative emotions, versus ones of love and passion.
A more memorable song, “Blood On Your Hands,” consists of pop influences and an extensive monologue by Depp. The song is about a “fatal lover” and the sacrifices that come along with passion. Pop culture references, such as one to American folk singer, Joan Baez, are made in this song as well. “Blood On Your Hands” evokes a startling feeling that can only be brought about by words of consumption and truth. The intensity of the lyrics are both beautiful and frightening.
Seamlessly transitioning into “Never Let Us Fade,” listeners get to hear another love song, this time with featured artist, Cam. Cam is a country artist, so getting to hear her on a more electronic song was not predictable, but worked quite well.
Finally, closing the album is “Love.” “Love” serves to sum up the major premise of the album, which is being in love. Shake expressed that this album is dedicated to her lover, Depp, as she served as the muse for this work. “Love” is a celebration and acknowledgment of the feelings that Shake finally holds onto as the “cure to [her] disease.”
“Petrichor” is a well-constructed body of songs that flow easily into each other, while simultaneously exploring different genres. Each track is passionate, dark and enticing. Listeners get to feel Shake’s emotions first-hand through this album.
Rating: 3.5/5