Paul Duffus: Simplistic, repetitive muzak with slightly flat vocals. Is there more to it than this? If life is too much fun, if you own too many great records and your goal for 2016 is to ratchet down your IQ and overall enjoyment of the world, then “Be Together” is just the anodyne pap to help you on your demented way. [2/10]
Chad Miller: Is anyone else thinking Born to Die era Lana Del Rey? No? Anyways, while starting off with a catchy verse, things seem to fall apart left and right. The chorus grows old after a few plays although it does benefit from slick production. And while singer Natalie Bergman isn’t bad exactly, her voice becomes grating very quickly whenever she tries to do anything special with it. Don’t get me started on the lyrics either. It’s hard for me to imagine anything more uninspired than this lazy attempt. No Major Lazer, you can’t just repeat the words “We’ll be together” a hundred times and call it a bridge. But hey, at least it’s catchy. Sometimes. [4/10]
Stephen Wyatt: Natalie Bergman, one half of the sibling duo Wild Belle, adds a bluesy slant to Major Lazer’s opening salvo “Be Together”, a stark, yet welcomed contrast to the dancehall-fueled Peace Is the Mission album. A trusted counterpart to nearly any EDM track, Bergman’s lithe vocals lifts the otherwise failed fusion of Portishead-era trip hop and lackluster reggae rhythms. Yet, her ability to deliver the standard pop histrionics that have become commonplace in recent EDM collaborations falls short of rescuing the track. Major Lazer continues their search for a distinct identity in the oversaturated electronic music world. [5/10]
Steve Horowitz: Maybe someday we can be together on the dark side, huh? Songs about death should be more than hey, catch you later. The lack of emotion that passes for cool does not persuade. Major Lazer needs to kick it up a notch. Wild Belle’s vocals fit the song, and the video has its moments, but as a whole death deserves better. [5/10]
Dami Solebo: It is a solid track, in keeping with Major Lazer vibe, but probably no more notable than a standard album song. Vocals weren’t particularly strong. [5/10]
Ari Rosenschein: While they redefine blonde ambition for 2016, Diplo and Wild Belle’s collab hangs around those shadowy corners where trap hi-hats meet the now ubiquitous post-LanAdeleRey murmur. The really, really, ridiculously good looking pair somehow make doomed romance sound oddly tame. Looking for a palate cleanser? Try “Leader of the Pack”. [4/10]
Chris Pittaway: Brightly coloured and anthemic, ‘Be Together’ blends Major Lazer’s typical dubesque electronica with a very right-now pop aesthetic, care of Wild Belle’s vocals and the undercurrent of skipping 808 patterns for an almost trip-hop feel. Unfortunately the track doesn’t do much to propel itself past its contemporaries on the radio and establish its own identity. [4/10]
Dustin Ragucos: “Be Together” makes falling in love with the bad boy so sterile. The rock guitar, especially, feels obnoxious to the core, an aspect not helped by Wild Belle’s air-headed vocals. Part of me wants to re-explore Peace Is the Mission, but being reminded of this track and “Powerful” makes me even more reluctant to do so. [3/10]
SCORE: 4.00