Zedd - Telos: Album Review

[@TheRealmOfTF]

I'm still in awe of the fact that we live in a timeline where we actually got a new Zedd album. It's been so long since True Colors that I had almost given up hope... and the fact that the album is as good as it is only makes me more excited for the future. While a part of me does miss the "old Zedd" from the Clarity era (that album will never be topped), I can appreciate that Zedd is trying to reinvent himself here, as a more versatile producer and song-maker. And the fact that he seems to be distancing himself from the post-True Colors era Zedd who made nothing but dollar-store pop anthems could not please me more. Besides, I'd count this album as a win purely because of Descensus alone. That track really felt like Zedd going "oh, so you thought I couldn't do it anymore huh? well have a taste of this".

[@riicky]

Shanti is far beyond generic. It’s cultural, it’s new, it’s different.

[@greg_levine]

Before I get into my thoughts, I'm a progressive/electro house superfan who enjoys 2012-2013 EDM more than anything, preferably at 128-130 BPM. Zedd is one of my favorite artists of all time, and Clarity and True Colors are my 2nd and 3rd favorite albums of all time respectively. Clarity is my 4th favorite song of all time. My favorite Zedd songs are Clarity, Stay the Night, Addicted to a Memory, Find You, Spectrum, Push Play, Beautiful Now, I Want You to Know, Follow You Down, Hourglass, Epos, and Done With Love. Telos isn't the style of music I love most, and isn't the style of EDM I love most from Zedd, but it absolutely beats his 2016-2020 synthpop/future bass era. If I put my early 2010s progressive/electro house bias aside, I can appreciate that this album is a masterpiece and probably the best artistic work in electronic music in the 2020s decade so far. Every little detail works perfectly in its place, much like the details in the mosaic on the cover art, to create one larger, beautiful piece. If Zedd puts even a fraction of the intentionality and detail-orientedness of this album into the tour, it will be incredible. My track rankings and reviews: 1. Out of Time - My favorite song of 2024 still, and of course my favorite Telos track. That's a given, due to my classic Zedd bias. Despite its slightly lacking production impact, it is one of the most impressive musical compositions in the entire genre, ever. 2. No Gravity - My favorite new track on the album. The impeccably smooth, lush synths make for an incredibly atmospheric soundscape that captivates me, similarly to how Get Low did years ago but to a much greater degree. 3. Descensus - Neck-and-neck with No Gravity for my top spot among the new tracks on the album, but held back by its slightly slow tempo (123 BPM). The chords and drops are amazing. 4. Automatic Yes - I love the smooth, funky vibe and chords in this song. It has a nice balance of the smoothness of No Gravity with the funkiness of Tangerine Rays. 5. Tangerine Rays - I love the funky vibe and chords in this song. It has great energy as well. 6. Sona - My favorite chord progression on the album, but not my favorite instrumentation, being an electronic synth sounds purist when it comes to my tastes. The transition into Lucky at the end is my favorite transition in the album. 7. 1685 - The most beautiful and creative song structure on the album. The delicate instrumentation and subtle but passionate vocals leading to the crescendo before the pause followed by the classical outro was the most unique and artistically fulfilling progression I've heard all year. 8. Lucky - This song grew on me. At first, it blended in with all of Zedd's 2016-2020 synthpop songs like The Middle for me, but something clicked and now it feels less generic than those songs. It's still a bit generic for my liking, a bit empty in the mix, and way too short, but it's really catchy. 9. Shanti - Despite its low placement in my ranking, I do enjoy this song. It has some of the energy and complexity of Descensus but unfortunately without being catchy to me at all. It's an amazing track in the context of the album but not one I will return to often if at all on its own. However, what it lacks in musicality it makes up for in cinematic value. 10. Dream Brother - Nicely produced, but this song is too repetitive for me. Most of the song is one chord only, with only little variation in the chord progression, which leaves me underwhelmed and waiting for the next track to start. Speaking of the next track, the transition at the end of this track is very nice, and the highlight of the song for me.

[@dillarddillard-p4e]

Agree totally about 1685 is the best song on the album. Muse and Zedd are a perfect classical combo and brings me to tears. It is very moving 😢

[@dillarddillard-p4e]

❤

[@Haji84]

Man, I'm so thankful that you did a review on this. I am kinda saved. I really love most of Zedd productions (mostly complextro and proglessive stuff) but Telos really didn't click me the way it used to. Like, other than Out of Time and Descensus, the melody or the rhythm were hard to follow and didn't feel catchy so I really couldn't like album as a whole. However, with your review on Telos, now I know why! I really have no musical knowledge to comprehend what was happening in Sonos or 1685 or whatever without your input. I am really glad that because of you, now I know that Zedd put on his great talent on these songs even though I really didn't like initially. On top of that, I watched some of his interview on Telos after watching this review so everything makes sense now. I am very happy that it seems Zedd did what he wanted to do in the album with collaborating with the artists he has adored and experimenting refreshing rhythmic pattern like 7/8(I really don't know what it is even now). Anyways, now I can fully enjoy his masterful crafts solely because of your review. Thank you!

[@ezrato]

Wow, what a compliment! So glad I could help you enjoy it! 😁

[@JimW1127]

Great review. Couldnt agree more with your opinion on the first 8 tracks. Out of time, Tangerine Rays, and Descensus in particular are incredible. But I found the John Mayer collab pretty uninspiring, and the vocals on the final track just felt forced to me (I am not a muse fan which probably explains why). I wish he had just made the last track instrumental. I think Out of Time will remain as my favourite track.

[@dwysan]

Thank you for doing your research before running your mouth 😅 other Telos reviews I've watched have not been so wise. Much appreciated 👍🏻

[@JDtheDJ2009]

Love Automatic Yes, but it feels more like a Zedd feature on a John Mayer song than a John Mayer feature on a Zedd song. I love John Mayer so that's not a criticism it's just an observation. If you had played me this song absent the knowledge it was on a Zedd album I would have been eagerly awaiting a new John Mayer album release. I guess we can look forward to more out of the box collabs with Zedd in the future.

[@DanTheMak]

It’s confirmed that this will NOT be his final album. In an Instagram livestream he says that he feels that he still has more to say as an artist. Just to make sure everyone’s aware 😊

[@stallenjoseph894]

Brooo how did you say shanti generic it is way beyond generic

[@chaosevolution]

I was hoping for a track like Hourglass...

[@chaosevolution]

Out Of Time hit the spot though :)