A Track By Track Review Of Cashmere Cat's Highly Anticipated Debut Album '9'

Last week, Cashmere Cat released the feature-heavy tracklist for his debut album and shocked the world with excitement. The album, out today, features artists like Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, Tory Lanez, and MØ. Cashy previously released singles “Wild Love”, “Trust Nobody”, and “9 (After Coachella)” over the past few months, showcasing his signature sound accompanied by today’s top pop vocalists. Though Cashmere Cat is known for his weird soundscapes, he’s still able to create minimalist sounding originals that are almost incomparable to other artists. His debut album 9 is truly that – an actual album. It’s not a collection of random songs or songs that sound like they go together. It’s an album that is meant to be listened to all the way through and in order, with each song flowing effortlessly into the next. With 9, the 29 year-old Norwegian producer shows his ability to bring future bass to the forefront of pop music in a way that has never been done before. Stream Cashmere Cat’s debut studio album 9 and read our track-by-track review below.

“Night Night (feat. Kehlani)”

The track starts with harmonized pitched vocals before dropping into an orchestral build up of gorgeous plucked strings. Cashmere Cat brings a soft touch to the 1:45 intro track, giving it a similar essence as Lido’s “Crazy”.

“Europa Pools (feat. Kacy Hill)”

Bringing his signature wonky synths and slow build up to the second track, Cashmere Cat combines the orchestral strings from “Night Night” against a more electronic soundscape. The track features Kanye-tapped GOOD Music artist Kacy Hill, known for her ethereal vocals, which float over the soft, glittery beat that turns into a burst of future bass in the drop. The first song to sound reminiscent of Cat’s Wedding Bells EP,

“9 (After Coachella) (feat. MØ & SOPHIE)”

MØ is known for her collaborations with electronic acts like Major Lazer and Snakehips so it was right up her alley to work with another talented producer like Cashmere Cat. More interestingly, Cashmere Cat enlists PC Music collaborator SOPHIE, known for his single “Lemonade” that was featured in a massive 2015 McDonald’s commercial. The single is the most electropop thus far through the LP yet showcases a trap style breakdown after chime filled opener.

“Wild Love (feat. The Weeknd & Francis and the Lights)”

The Weeknd and Francis and the Lights are quite the dualling collaboration with The Weeknd being a dark R&B artist while Francis and The Lights leans more towards Nick Murphy (FKA Chet Faker) and James Blake. Known for their work with Chance The Rapper, Bon Iver and Kanye West, Francis and the Lights have become experienced collaborators in hip-hop and electronic music. With pitched vocals and heavy distortion, the downtempo beat takes over The Weeknd’s vocals, making this one of Cashmere’s most intricate takes on future bass.

“Quit (feat. Ariana Grande)”

Cashmere Cat has a history of work with Ariana Grande, with a feature on her single “Be My Baby” and an opening slot on her The Honeymoon Tour so it was no shock that she was featured on his album. The R&B style track starts out with only piano chords under her glowing vocals and builds into a beautiful downtempo ballad with Cashmere Cat’s signature bells and chimes added in the aftermath of the chorus. “Quit” is definitely one of the stand out tracks on 9.

“Infinite Stripes (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”

Known for his work on Kanye’s TLOP album, it’s no surprise Cashy enlisted Ty Dolla $ign as one of two rappers on his album. “Infinite Stripes” is a slow banging R&B-leaning track with gorgeous whistles under Ty Dolla $ign’s fast spoken lyrics and magically showcases the rapper’s softer side. It continues to show the way the Cashmere Cat not only explored out of the box sound-wise for his album, but also pushed his vocalists out of their comfort zones to highlight their true vocal abilities.

“Victoria’s Veil”

The only instrumental on the album, Cashmere Cat brings all his unique sounds to one song, exploring new ways to brighten synths, chimes, and bells. Reminiscent of a Ryan Hemsworth type beat, Cashmere Cat uses “Victoria’s Veil” to showcase his growth from his previous EP and his ability to produce elegantly weird instrumentals.

“Trust Nobody (feat. Selena Gomez & Tory Lanez)”

Selena Gomez and Tory Lanez are another interesting set of collaborators juxtaposed on this album, but together they make for a beautiful pop single. Selena Gomez’s sultry vocals perfectly accompany Tory Lanez’s sing-rapping to make future bass sexy in a completely new way. Again leaning more towards R&B, Cashmere Cat proves himself as a producer all the major artists are going to want to produce their next single. Though “Trust Nobody” was released in September as the second single off the album, it remains as one of the highlights of the album.

“Love Incredible (feat. Camila Cabello)”

Featuring former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello, Cashmere Cat continues to show how he’s capable of showcasing both his elaborate production as well as the vocalists. “Love Incredible” is the most pop-leaning track of the album, with classic drum build ups, bright, soft synths and a hard-hitting kick. The track is also co-produced by “9” collaborator SOPHIE, yet does not sound anything like “9 (After Coachella)”.

” Plz Don’t Go (feat. Jhené Aiko)”

The last track on 9 features Jhené Aiko and is another downtempo pop song where Cashmere turns Jhené’s vocals into pitched synths for the drop and adds bells to round out his unique soundscape. Cashmere also includes strings like in the first few tracks, adding continuity throughout the album. The track is co-written by Portland electronic artist Shy Girls and also features his harmonizing vocals.