Justin Timberlake 'Filthy' Song Review Roundup: Here's What Critics Are Saying
After announcing a new album earlier this week, Justin Timberlake released the music video of his new single, "Filthy," on Friday, Jan. 5.
The track is one of four singles from his upcoming fifth album, Man of the Woods, which is slated to arrive on Feb. 2, two days before Timberlake takes the halftime stage at the Super Bowl this year.
"Filthy" is the Grammy-winner's first new release since his 2013 double album The 20/20 Experience, except "Can't Stop the Feeling," a single he released in tandem with the animated film, Trolls. The music video has already crossed 5 million views on YouTube and has amassed 2 million likes.
Music reviewers from various publications including the New Yorker, Variety and The Guardian among others have shared their views on the Grammy-winning singer's latest single. Here's what the critics had to say:
The Guardian
"Beginning with some bombastic guitar rock, it transmogrifies into a beautifully dark, undulating funk track underpinned by a whiplash bass womp. This kind of wobbling bassline was made ludicrous by the American take on dubstep earlier in the decade, but here co-producers Timberlake, Timbaland and the latter's protégé Danja conspire to make it dangerous again."
"Alongside the blockbuster elements there are gorgeously subtle flourishes, like the fluttering intake of breath sitting low in the mix."
"Vocally, Timberlake heavily channels Prince, particularly the exacting, scornful tone of When Doves Cry, while his "whatchu gonna do with all that meat?" is like an X-rated version of Bruno Mars's "whatchu tryna do?" from 24k Magic. The chorus, which modulates into a sweeter, smoother key, is signature Timberlake."
Variety
"Timberlake speaks more than he sings during "Filthy," which kind of puts it on par with Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" as a first-impression track where the central hook is a simple recitation over a dance beat."
Entertainment Weekly
"Timberlake's attempt to Frankenstein his brand of pop with contemporary electronic sounds might cause whiplash as "Filthy" vacillates between laptop-generated squelches and a more organic groove. He cruises from chorus to verse — there's not really anything differentiating the two — tossing off vapid lyrics over a meandering, structureless instrumental. When an over-the-top stadium-rock bridge arrives, things only deteriorate."
The New Yorker
"[Filthy] is a blithe bit of Prince-inspired dance-pop, with deep spiritual debts to Lil Johnson. It has a pudgy, reverberating bass line, and an arena-rattling bridge. His voice, which is thin and precise, takes on new depth when it bends mischievously, or ekes into falsetto."
"Timberlake's gifts are not in his tone—he winces through his vocals, which can make them feel too taut, like a rubber band that's about to snap—but in his performance. Timberlake's comportment remains un-self-serious. He understands pop music as being chiefly about joy and release."
Billboard
"'Fitlhy,' true to its name, is not that: The thing rumbles and crackles like an irritated stomach, unkempt from its opening feedback quake and remaining sonically on edge throughout. It never really locks in melodically or rhythmically, crashing from its Random Access Memories break into its acid-scratch slither and tickling bass, and back, a whole lot of tension without a ton of obvious accompanying release."
