Dear Poptastic Readers,
The independent Dutch trio The 004 have released their debut album We Are. We have featured The 004 many times in Poptastic Confessions over the years, so when they asked us for a track-by-track review, we said yes. We admire their enthusiasm and their spirit of making their dreams come true, having stayed together for 20 years.
The album starts off with the somber “About Us”, which was their single back in January. It’s a decent song about heartbreak with a downbeat summery vibe. Kelly and Janet’s vocals particularly shine in this song. The first track usually sets the tone for the album, so we are expecting lots of melancholy songs.
The second track is “Home.” It was the second single this year. We had meant to review it, but it got lost in the list, so we are happy to hear it now. It is another slow song about heartbreak. It is emotional and heartfelt, and definitely one of the lyrical highlights of the album. The handclap moment toward the end of the song gives it quite an anthemic feel. We quite like it.
“Give Me One Chance” picks up the tempo ever so slightly. This feels like a slow R&B-flavored track and the vibe is slightly reminiscent of “No More You” by the Sugababes, who The 004 have named as an influence. The melody is good and their harmonies demonstrate the hard work they have done.
“No Match” finally picks up the pace with some beats. This moody breakup song has some attitude and keeps the R&B vibe going. Mike’s vocals shine here.
The current single is “Can’t Let You Go” and it has a nice melody. We think this was on their 2018 EP Memories, but that EP has disappeared from streaming platforms so we can't be certain. The overall theme running through this album is somber heartbreak, which continues here. The tempo picks up a little in the bridge and chorus which is a welcome change of pace.
We reviewed “Standing” in 2019 and we had described it as somber, but within the context of this album it is actually one of the faster songs. It definitely has a more radio-friendly feel than some of the earlier tracks. This was taken from their EP titled Personal.
“Nothing I Can’t Achieve” is an uptempo track filled with positivity and certainly the most upbeat moment on the album. The track was initially released in 2020 and the video was filmed during the pandemic with help from their fans.
“Little Bench” starts off almost as a rap song, with Janet getting her moment to shine. This seems to be a different version of the song to what they originally released back in 2016. It’s a sentimental song about the group’s enduring friendship over the years.
“I Hate This Part” is not to be confused with The 004’s infamous Pussycat Dolls cover, which they recorded early on when there were 4 people in the group (there was a video made with an unforgettable moment involving Janet and sand!). It’s a surprise to hear an original song with the same title instead. Feels like a bit of a shame that their cover wasn’t included on their first album, but we can understand why they chose an original song instead. This is quite a strong song and vocals are very well done, especially on the chorus.
The album suitably ends with “Thank You”, which is a nice uptempo song about gratitude with a catchy chorus. It does feel like this album is a gift to the fans who have followed The 004 throughout their career and it's a touching close to the album.
Overall, the album has quite a somber feel, which is an interesting choice for their debut album. Most of the songs are slow-to-midtempo, but the production values are good and they have clearly worked hard on their lyrics and harmonies. We think our favourite song of theirs is "Song For Me" from back in 2018 on their Memories EP. It would have been nice to have an updated version here, too. It’s great that after all these years The 004 finally have their first album under their belts, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
Their album We Are is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today. Stream it here on Spotify ...
Never give up on the good times,
—The Poptastic Confessions Collective
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