Reinvention Bordering on Familiarity — Zedd “Telos” Album Review
Look, I love(d) Zedd! Been a fan since the Clarity LP release, and then when I listened to his way older stuff like Shotgun, Dovregubben, and Stars Come Out, I fell in love with his creative bass sound. I fairly enjoyed True Colors, though for me it was missing a little bit of that spicy sound. After that, it was a plethora of single releases that I felt wasn’t hitting enough, so he quickly fell off my radar. So, color me surprised when I see that Zedd released Telos in August, something I hadn’t even heard about! I waited for a few days to listen and relisten. Here’s what I have to say.
I don’t think it’s any secret that producers like Zedd have mastered the formula of late 2010s pop dance; he basically is in the forefront of it, much to the displeasure of his EDM audience. Especially with tracks like The Middle, Funny, and 365. For me, it was fine, I guess. (I love a lot of synth pop & indie pop acts! I think it’s just way separate from mainstream dance pop). But Telos is quite different; Zedd basically marketed it as a reintroduction and a revival of his old sound. Naturally I was excited to get into it! However, overall, I feel that Telos presented a mixed bag of tracks — some truly captivating, while others fall flat. There’s no denying that Zedd’s production remains very polished. But I think the album struggles to maintain momentum; slipping into predictable patterns that prevent it from reaching full definition.
Right off the bat, the back-to-back Bea Miller tracks Out of Time and Tangerine Rays were immediately a weak start. Like, sure, I was expecting the typical Zedd-styled pop dance track, but this was really familiar territory that I wasn’t immediately captivated. Out of Time sounded like Hourglass, and Tangerine Rays felt like one of the NFT-exclusive tracks he released back then, but way less interesting. They immediately felt forgettable.
The next track Shanti I was quite interested in. Like, hey, finally, something fresh and unexpected. But as I kept listening to it, though conceptually intriguing, I didn’t think it ever evolved beyond its initial idea. It feels more like an unfinished thought than a fully fleshed-out track. I really liked the distorted vocal lead in the drop, though. I would say it’s one of the best moments in the album.
Surprisingly, the next track, No Gravity is easily one of the most interesting songs on the album. Immediately I was pulled in by the use of space and silence. I love how atmospheric its build-up was. This is coming from a guy who very much enjoys complexity!
Sona emerges as the next standout for me, I think it has this sort of infectious energy with complex layering that showcases Zedd’s talent for crafting a memorable melody, reminiscent of his older work! While the synth-on-the-drum-hit is extremely familiar for a lot of Zedd fan, I felt that it’s production is different enough in the album, making it sound really fresh! Not to mention the 7/4 sound is extremely addicting to come back to.
As Sona transitions into Lucky despite being a somewhat lackluster single for me, it finds new life within the context of the album. Tracklist placement is important! I think that’s one aspect Zedd really focused on. It felt like a perfect part 2 to Sona. Something like Nirvana + Mania on Madeon’s Good Faith LP.
One of the more disappointing moments comes with Dream Brother. It initially sounds like a refreshing change of pace. But instead, it immediately falls into overly familiar territory. It has lacking the excitement and dynamism one might expect from such a title. The original track is haunting and cinematic, and Zedd slapping on a somewhat generic structure on it (which is obviously Papercut) seems counterproductive to what he was trying to achieve in the album. It does feel kind of… rude in a way.
Similarly, Descensus feels really forgettable on the first listen. Upon replays, it does somehow reveal some interesting production choices that elevate it slightly, but not enough to save it from mediocrity. This is, obviously, the Spectrum track on this album (True Colors had Done With Love).
On the flip side, Automatic Yes was really good! The John Mayer feature helped in making the track funkier and infectious. It got stuck in my head after the initial listen already. The gritty bass that starts in the post-chorus mixed with the guitar solo in the outro drive the song to insane levels.
1685 is pretty notable, being a Muse feature. Granted, I’ve heard very little from Muse, but from all I’ve heard, it feels like more of a Muse track, and then Zedd comes in with his signature synth plucks. It does start off very strong, but again, that Zedd sound eventually becomes predictable, and at this point, tired. Sure, it is very cinematic. But I don’t feel like it’s living up to be something groundbreaking — nor is it something I would look forward to listening to. And I eat up cinematic shit for breakfast!
Overall, Telos feels like Zedd is playing it a bit too safe. Look, while his signature pop dance sound is present throughout, the album never quite reaches the heights of either genre. After more than a decade, Zedd’s production has never been more polished, and certain tracks show his potential to break against the mold, but the album as a whole lacks the cohesive spark needed to make it truly great. Which is incredibly hilarious to point out, given that all the tracks transition cohesively one after the other.
I think what’s incredibly frustrating as well is that the album is decent — something I would’ve appreciated, like, what, maybe five years ago? It’s not exactly dated, but it feels very much so. It’s like, this would’ve been the album that Zedd fans wanted if he had released it earlier, before the countless pop singles. It’s creative and cinematic, sure, but it feels overdue. And given the current landscape of the electronic scene, it’s clear that Zedd hasn’t done anything groundbreaking, despite how he alluded to it.
I understand that not every album has to be groundbreaking or lifechanging — it can just be some project that expresses what the artist has to say; doesn’t make it any less valid! I think the huge problem here is Zedd going on interviews and saying that Telos is something “brand NEW” and that he “can’t name one album or artist that has done something like it in recent times.” Like, hello? Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides (SOPHIE)? Hi This Is Flume (Flume)? Mercurial World (Magdalena Bay)? In terms of the electronic world, there’s a lot of artists doing that already, and call me crazy, but I don’t think there was ever any moment in the album that introduced me to anything new. All of the tracks feel like a redesign of an older Zedd track.
I don’t want to write this review with people thinking I’m a “Bring Back Clarity!” type of person. Clarity was amazing for it is, and nothing could ever replicate what it did for the EDM scene. And even back then, pre-Clarity, Zedd already had a notable production style that was pretty unique for its time. Zedd’s career has always been more about sticking safely within the boundaries of pop, not necessarily evolving or taking risks. And that’s fine! He carved out his niche and thrived in it. But with Telos, the promise was that we’d finally see Zedd step outside that comfort zone and reinvent himself — and yet, he didn’t. Instead of breaking new ground, he dressed up familiar ideas in slightly different ways, leaving the album feeling more like a rehash than a reinvention. It’s not that Telos is bad — it’s just frustrating that when given the perfect chance to evolve, Zedd chose not to.
Listen to Telos now: