4.5/5 stars
Waves to watch: Clouds, Night Changes, Stockholm Syndrome
Genre: Pop/Rock
Goes great with: Coldplay, Little Mix, 5 Seconds of Summer, any of your favorite 80's artists
One struggle many young artists face is the awkward transition from “I’m a teen pop star” to “I want to be taken seriously”. Either because they try too hard and miss the mark completely or because they fall off the face of the earth before they get the chance, most of these artists end up becoming nothing more than memories. If anyone thought that One Direction’s new album was going to be their demise, they are sorely mistaken.
The lads are at it again, this time with their appropriately titled fourth album FOUR (Columbia/Syco), released on November 17th. This new album is a major and confident leap in the direction this group seems that they want to take towards the sound they want (which at this point is still a little all over the place, but that’s okay.) That being said, this is One Direction’s most complete and coherent album yet. Similar to their last album Midnight Memories, these guys are really trying to find a style that fits how they want to be perceived as artists. You can hear the influences from classic rock and hair metal (God bless the 80’s), alternative, and folk music in every song. Also like Midnight Memories, the guys themselves played a much greater role in the songwriting department- especially Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, who wrote 8 of the album’s 12 tracks (10 tracks if we’re talking deluxe edition).
It should also be noted that these guys had a number of other artists wanting to get in on FOUR. Fellow Englishman and friend of the group Ed Sheeran wrote a love song for the album titled “18” and acts like Kodaline, The 1975, McFly, and Good Charlotte, as well as singer John Legend and producer Naughty Boy all reportedly played a role in the albums production. With all this extra talent, it’s no wonder One Direction’s own described this album as “a little bit more edgy”.
Our first taste of FOUR came with the release of “Fireproof”, a track reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy” with its buttery vocals and mellow rhythm. It was a great and exciting start to the new album. My hopes were high. But then “Steal My Girl” was released. Don’t get me wrong, I love this song, but their first single reminded me of Midnight Memories’ “Best Song Ever” in that it’s arguably the most pop sounding song on the album. The piano repetitions reminded me of Journey’s classic “Faithfully”, their voices have matured, and the lyrics are perfect for car jamming, but it’s clear the One Direction team is still desperately trying to hold onto their teen pop image.
The rest of FOUR is perfectly all over the place, building on genres and artists that the lads like and hopefully will continue to pursue. “Girl Almighty” reminded me of the alternative gods Vampire Weekend, “Change Your Ticket” could’ve mistook me for “Girls” by The 1975, and “Act My Age” was clearly an homage to Niall Horan’s Irish roots and sounded like a lighter version of Flogging Molly. And that’s just the beginning.
The guys said it themselves- this album is edgy. “Stockholm Syndrome” (reminiscent of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”) is potentially the most provocative song off FOUR, with lyrics like “Baby look what you've done to me / Baby you got me tied down / Baby I'll never leave if you keep holding me this way” and “Who's that shadow holding me hostage I've been here for days”. “No Control” is electric and upbeat, with lyrics suggestive of a couple’s defining night together, and has Louis Tomlinson proclaiming “Waking up, beside you I'm a loaded gun / I can't contain this anymore / I'm all yours, I've got no control, no control”. These guys aren’t running from the fact that they’ve matured; they’re embracing it head on.
Even though it’s impossible to pick a favorite, I can say that “Clouds”, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, “Fool’s Gold” and “Night Changes” come close to topping the list. “Clouds” is a high energy, shouting sing along that gets me pumped at every “Here we go again!”. “Night Changes” makes me swoon thinking of moonlit evenings with its silky vocals and smooth rhythms. “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” has lyrics that beg a response and is made to rock stadiums. “Fool’s Gold” has acoustic qualities and harmonies that make me melt and lyrics that make me empathize. My only question is, whose fool’s gold were they falling for?
Overall, the lads of One Direction nailed it. They’ve done something many groups of their nature have never done- release a fourth album. They’re coming into their own sound and style aside from the teeny bopper pop image they’ve been so closely linked to since their beginnings. Contractually, these guys have one more album together. What happens after that is all in limbo. Regardless of what happens, however, I can confidently say that these guys have a future and it’s looking good.
xx. Sheridan
courtesy onedirectionmusic.com
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