Ungodly Hour by Chloe x Halle | Album Review

The sophomore album from the wunderkind sisters show off a taste for the classics, but always updated for today.

Credit: Parkwood Entertainment, Columbia Records

Show business just seemed like destiny for Chloe and Halle Bailey.

They started as child actors in the Atlanta suburbs and also began learning how to write songs from their father before they were teenagers. This led them to create a YouTube channel where they sang covers of popular songs, and a cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” caught the attention of Queen Bey herself.

From here, they exploded with mind-boggling speed. The duo signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment label in 2015, a $1 million record deal for two literal teenagers. Two years later, they earned supporting roles in the ABC sitcom Grown-ish, and one of their tracks, “Grown,” was featured as the show’s theme song.

“Grown” also served as the lead single from Chloe x Halle’s 2018 debut album, The Kids Are Alright, a well-received pop/R&B album that earned them two Grammy nominations. To top it all off, at the tender age of 19, Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, the lead in a high-budget Disney spectacle. And with all that going on, they still found time to create their second album Ungodly Hour, an album the sisters had tremendous creative control over on both writing and production.

Ungodly Hour is a record that reveals more and more beauty the further you get into it. The first few tracks on the record ease you into the sound Chloe and Halle are building, a blend of modern R&B with some throwback dance influences.

For instance, the female empowerment track “Baby Girl” features a sparse but groovy instrumental that frames some sharp melody writing from the two. It flows perfectly into “Do It,” the album’s second single, more upbeat and carefree but still working with a similar sound palette. I enjoy the plush bass line and colorful synth textures they use here.

However, when we get to the album’s title track, Chloe and Halle truly hit their stride. Teaming up with English music duo Disclosure, they create a wonderfully playful and sensual song built on pillowy keyboard textures and call-and-response vocals. Lyrically, they exude sexual desire for a man but want him to do the necessary work on himself first:

When you decide you like yourself (Holler at me)

When you decide you need someone (Call up on me)

When you don’t have to think about it

Love me at the ungodly hour.

Even better, the pair follow that up with “Busy Boy,” a scandal in song form. Over a brooding R&B instrumental, Chloe and Halle sing about a philandering man-whore who they find carnally irresistible but emotionally toxic:

That’s why I just play with you

I spend a little time, don’t stay with you

You ain’t never gonna get deep inside

Even though you’re so damn fine.

But then, suddenly, “Catch Up,” featuring Swae Lee and Mike WiLL Made-It, grinds the album’s steady flow to a halt. The modern hip-hop production, with stiff claps and hi-hats, and Swae Lee’s instantly recognizable (and highly processed) voice make the song feel out of place among the smooth R&B leading up to this.

“Catch Up,” fortunately, is the only true hiccup on Ungodly Hour. From there, we’re smooth sailing with nothing but hits. “Don’t Make It Harder On Me” adopts a lush 60s pop sound palette, updated for today, and it sounds spectacular. Singing about falling for someone while already in a relationship, Chloe and Halle belt their hearts out over one of the hookiest choruses on the album.

The penultimate track, “Wonder What She Thinks Of Me,” takes that story from “Don’t Make It Harder On Me” and runs with it. A brutal ballad about being the other woman, Chloe and Halle deliver another sparkling vocal performance — maybe their best on the record.

Finally, they tie things up with “ROYL,” an acronym for “rest of your life.” After the emotional highs and lows of the two tracks preceding it, this ode to living life in the moment is a perfect palette cleanser to end with. And for two girls in their very early twenties, I think it represents exactly what people would expect them to want rather than the high-profile careers they’ve pursued. That subversion of expectations makes the two such exceptional artists, and I am excited to see what else they have in store over their (hopefully) long artistic careers.

Production: 8/10

Lyrics: 8/10

Songwriting: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

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Thank you for reading! What did you think of this album? Leave a comment with your thoughts, and I’ll see you in the next review!