PARTYNEXTDOOR is music’s true enigma. He saunters in when he’s got new music to drop and then heads back to the studio, leaking almost zero information to his fans. PARTYMOBILE arrives four years after his last album P3 and it looks like it was worth the wait. Among a host of incredible producers from Murda Beatz to Bizness Boi, he’s also managed to enlist Rihanna for her first feature in years. In celebration, let’s dig into the album together. 

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Nothing Less

Would you expect anything less than a late-night sizzler to begin the PND album? Over introspective synths, PND gives elongated vocals singing lines like, “Give you my all so you don’t cry.” Murda Beatz is on production here alongside frequent collaborator Cardiak and together they create the perfect album opener for a PND record.

Turn Up

Murda Beatz and Cardiak are back together on this track but the tempo is turned up a little bit. The beats come in and PND injects a little energy into the project. “I wanna see you turn up,” he sings which may seem a little off-brand for PND but he delivers it with his usual after-dark melancholy. This beat is an intricate one, giving typical trap characteristics undercut with rich textures. 

The News

This was one of the early singles from the record, dropping last year alongside Loyal. It’s a classic PND mid-tempo singing about a troubled relationship. Here he sings, “Do you deserve me? No way.” She’s been caught cheating and Party is sharing the news with her for the first time. 

Split Decision

Split Decision is another one of the cuts that arrived before the album dropped. The roles are reversed here from The News and it’s PND that has been caught doing the cheating (“Say you’ll never trust me again”). The glitchy, flickering beat comes courtesy of Belgian producer Alex Lustig who has produced for the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and Baka Not Nice. 

Loyal (Feat. Drake)

Drake has featured on every single PND album and he, of course, returns here for a dancehall moment. The pair of them are in their element on Loyal letting their verses slowly unfurl over the minimal beat. PND’s melodies on this one are so tight reminding us again how good he is writing over a dancehall beat (Not Nice, Work). 

Touch Me

Swiss producer Oz has had a pretty phenomenal last few years working on tracks for Travis Scott, Drake and Tinahse. Here, with PND, he delivers a lightly textured, danceable beat that still maintains the after dark wooziness that this record has carried since the beginning. PND leaves an eerie amount of space in this one, taking it an even slower pace than usual as he sings, “Touch me and remind me of what I like.”

Trauma

This beat is a shock when it arrives. It takes us straight to the club for the first time on this record and PND delivers one hell of a hook. In true OVO style, it’s a cry-banger with PND singing, “Traumatised, I can’t sleep at night.” It’s hardly a lyric you’d imagine getting down to but PND’s energy is infectious in this one creating a very strange juxtaposition. If you’re here for a bop - head straight to this track. 

Showing You

PND is giving us all the textures on this record. We get some woodwind-driven production here as PND delivers one of his wooziest vocals on the record. The whole thing amounts to something hypnotic, so much so that it feels like a late-night voice mail. This beat is one of the most instantly captivating on the whole album. 

Eye On It

Back to dancehall again with production by Asoterik and Zaro Vega. This may be the most diverse range of producer Party has ever used on his record and the different takes on the PND sound are what make it so exciting. Eye On It is made for dancing with PND singing, “But she can wine, wine slowly, mi put an eye, eye on it.” 

Believe It (Feat. Rihanna)

Here she is, RiRi has arrived. This is Rihanna’s first feature in years and while her input is small, it’s potent. Her hook here is full of soul and adds a much-needed female dimension to the record. This is the best mid-tempo moment on the record, textured with guitar as PND delivers quotables like, “You got the power, pussy power.” Lyrically, PND is really not afraid to go anywhere on this record, often approaching things with uncomfortable intimacy. 

Never Again

Lustig is back on this one, giving us our first ‘80s moment of the record. Big, reverb-soaked drums define this one as PND gives his most vocally ambitious performance of the record. He’s choosing himself over anyone else on this one - “Better or for worse, I'ma always choose me first.”

PGT

PGT, standing for Pretty Grown Thing, is one of the most sensual moments on the record. This has mostly been an emotion-fuelled listen but on PGT he’s having a little fun with it. “You're way more sexy out in person,” he sings as the beat plods along at a confidant pace. 

Another Day

We’ve got a front-row seat in PND’s bedroom for this one and he’s literally holding nothing back. “I'm your little sexaholic,” he sings before conceding, “You're not ready to spend the night, baby.” That whistle that he adds into the hook may be the record’s most endearing moment. 

Savage Anthem

This immediately sounds like an epic from the first flourishing synth. We may have already tagged PND’s most ambitious vocal performance earlier but he beats it again here going into full power ballad mode. We get to hear him both in falsetto and in full flight which is a glorious thing. This is the most honest he gets on the whole album, giving us an unfiltered narrative of his infidelities. That paired with a choir is strangely stirring. 

Loyal (Remix)

Loyal but with added Bad Bunny. We couldn’t think of a better feature for this song.