Three years after their prior release, Swedish electronic duo
Galantis keep the party going on their third full-length,
Church. Familiar to the core, this set plays like an extended dance mix intended for both expansive festival grounds and sweaty clubs. Indeed, it's high-energy and packed with optimistic lyrics that are a dime a dozen in this genre. However, there aren't many new tricks on display here; instead,
Church is simply a fun listen that aims for fleeting good vibes. A handful of famous voices share the limelight, namely U.K. singer
John Newman ("Hurricane"), indie outfit
Passion Pit ("I Found U"), and pop group
OneRepublic ("Bones"), but the best guest provides the album's biggest (and most surprising) moment. Alongside
Mr. Probz, country icon
Dolly Parton lends her inimitable vocals to the uplifting hit anthem "Faith," which topped the Swedish singles chart. Additional collaborators also receive marquee listing, however it's '90s singer and 2000s hit songwriter
Cathy Dennis who delivers the most understated (and anonymous) contributions. Providing vocals for more than a third of the album, she also owns the bulk of the standouts, including the feel-good, piano-synth overload "Steel"; the elastic pop of "Unless It Hurts"; and the joyous, hands-in-the-air standout "Holy Water." Overall,
Church plays like a collection of
Avicii outtakes and much of the LP loses steam as the fairly generic tracks eventually start to bleed into one another. Picking through the bunch, there are some good bits to pluck out, but otherwise
Church is better suited as cheerfully innocuous background music for a house party. ~ Neil Z. Yeung