K-Bahn
Pop, 2019

It’s been six years, but it looks like during the meantime, they have managed to find themselves in bed with RCA in order to distribute their newest album DNA. Yes, they are still calling themselves boys despite the fact that they now look like uncles that young kids will be vaguely embarrassed by at parties. As for this album, well, it’s business as usual as these guys make boyband music that sound a lot like other tracks of theirs as well as those of other boybands past and present.

Sure, Breathe is pretty interesting as a minimalist track full of “Ooh ooh ooh!” and Nobody Else is a pretty mellow ballad. New Love has AJ McLean and Nick Carter hitting on girls and the effect is unintentionally creepy as they do look like leering uncles who look into the mirror and think they are Shawn Mendes. Chances has a nice gentle guitar riff but still, I’ve heard that one before. No Place is alright too, it’s a mid-tempo track that sounds a lot like something a lonely and middle-aged boyband member would sing because it’s 3 am in the morning and the groupies have stopped coming into his room since ten years ago, and to add insult to the injury, he is no longer able to afford the blue pill and the hookers he hire laugh at the sight of his potbelly.

The whole thing sounds like another routine business day for these fellows. DNA may earn them some new fans, but something tells me that the younger kids these days may not find much to enjoy here. It’s another Backstreet Boys album, and they are still pretending to party like it’s still 1999 and they are still at the top of the pack. I’d think they would innovate or go out of the box to stay fresh, but I suppose all this is beneath you if you are the Backstreet Boys.