In the opening moments of MNEK’s second album, the artist gives listeners a warning: They can “turn a bad boy to a bad bitch in seconds.” It’s as if they’re saying, “Press play on BULLDOZER!!, and prepare for your vibe to change.” That confidence is well-earned—the London-based producer, whose real name is Uzo Emenike, has been shaping pop from behind the boards for well over a decade, working alongside everyone from Beyoncé to Gorgon City to Stormzy. Most recently, MNEK teamed back up with Zara Larsson for her slow-burn breakout Midnight Sun (and its corresponding remix album), reaffirming their command of the dance floor and clinching a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording along the way.
BULLDOZER!!, MNEK’s first album since 2018’s Language, offers a recalibration, pondering what happens when the spotlight falls on them for a change. They set out to balance club-pop beats with introspective commentary on gender representation, LGBTQ+ beauty standards, and what it feels like to come into yourself when that self is constantly in flux. The album is most compelling when confidence and uncertainty coexist, but at times, the self-love inspo drowns in its own blind positivity.
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The production across BULLDOZER!! is expectedly precise, with crisp, intricately layered beats and malleable vocals that make for easy listening. At times, its combination of piano-centric beat patterns and predictable rise-fall-rise structures toes the line between comforting nostalgia and dated 2010s regurgitation. “OH NO!! ALL THE BOYS!!” and “LADY!!,” addictive as they are, feel made for 2014 clubs, leaving something to be desired underneath the steady hooks. The record’s best moments lean into the unexpected, like the country pivot on “WANNA BE WANTED!!,” which hits with a jolt after 20 minutes of dance floor pop, or the rush of “DIRTY LITTLE SECRET!!,” with its choppy, Flume-esque synth cuts mixed with a slightly downtempo, hi-hat-heavy breakbeat.
