Four years after Drax Project broke through with 2019’s “Woke Up Late”—which saw singer Shaan Singh nail a breakthrough duet with Hailee Steinfeld—the jazz-trained Wellington quartet lean even further into pop and R&B on their second album. Singh’s feathery vocal touch is obvious from the album’s opening seconds, thanks to the intimate verses that guide “Atmosphere” so smoothly to its pronounced chorus. A co-write with American songwriter Ferras (Katy Perry, Dua Lipa), that song also establishes the recurring theme of resilience on the aptly titled Upside. After tapping Australian singer Charley for the sultry single “Disrespect”, Drax Project revisit their inspirational message most notably on “Hold Me Back”. Meanwhile, “Good Life” is a bubbly tribute to romantic bliss punctuated by slap bass, and “Sugar” draws parallels between the titular rush and addictive qualities of infatuation while sneaking in some of Singh’s saxophone. The band leader’s high and plaintive singing shines across the album, right down to the unexpected Auto-Tuned falsetto that begins the ballad “My Luck (Someone Like You)”. And on “Oh My”, the entire band clicks into place perfectly for a track that neatly sums up the zippy panache of modern pop.