2021 is a collection of songs – 15 to be exact – that, apart from the odd mention of more adult themes, are radio-friendly to a fault.

Things start off well enough with “Mis Oor Die See.” Despite the more poetic images the title conjures, the track is entirely EDM based. While the beats veer towards predictable they’re still powerful enough to get the toes tapping, and Arno Carstens’ solo vocal contributions add a bit of spice to the melodies.

From there on out things get pretty ordinary. 'Plekkie In Die Son' brings Early B to the party but is the first of a handful of songs to fall victim to excessive auto-tune while 'Naweek' is exactly what you’d expect a collaboration between Die Heuwels Fantasties and Jack Parow to be: another song about braais, beers, and mind-altering substances. Amongst the odd bit of foul-language and the more mature themes the song revolves around there’s a braai-friendly charm to it; the lyrics probably won’t upset anyone if played in the background at a Saturday afternoon family gathering.

Songs like 'Ek Mis Jou' and 'Mejuffrou Sonneblom' collapse under the weight of their clichés while 'Doin’ It Right', featuring producer Pierre Pressure, is a noble but misguided attempt at a club-track.

The final track, 'Leja' is the most interesting song on the album although that might be because it was recorded live at the Francois van Coke en Vriende concert in Pretoria last year and live shows always have a bit more edge to them

2021 is a safe album that’s bound to be a commercial success but probably won’t be remembered when people talk about Die Heuwels Fantasties in the near-distant future.

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