Music Review: "Made in the A.M."

Arguably the most popular current boy band on the planet, One Direction released their most recent album Made in the A.M. Nov. 13. With the biggest-selling worldwide album of 2013 and the highest-grossing concert tour of 2015, the band entered 2015 only to lose band member Zayn Malik in March. Made in the A.M., the first of their albums with only a quartet, highlights One Direction’s versatility, even without their fifth member.

The first track of the album, “Hey Angel,” definitely showcases One Direction’s boy band roots with its Coldplay-like vocals and NSYNC-like beat. Although its invigorating opening does well at introducing the album, the song’s repetitive lyrics don’t create the romantic vibe it’s trying hard to reach. This is directly contrasted by “Perfect,” which creates a fun, lightheartedly romantic feeling that hides the song’s bad boy lyrics, like “If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do/Then baby, I’m perfect.” The song contrasts the positive, sweet lyrics of the hit “Story of My Life” from their 2013 album Midnight Memories, and the cutesy, preteen-crush lyrics found in “One Thing” of 2012's Up All Night.

In addition to One Direction’s usual upbeat, poppy tunes, Made in the A.M. features several slower songs. One such song, “Infinity,” creates a more genuinely sweet, passionate atmosphere than the majority of their other songs. All four members have beautiful solos, and Harry Styles’s power-ballad chorus is highlighted by the other members’ lower pitches. The band highlights the interactions of each boy’s voice even further in “If I Could Fly,” which features sweet harmonizations as well as solos. The song’s heavy emphasis on the piano and violin creates a somber, heartfelt vibe not completely achieved= in their past albums.

In addition to “If I Could Fly,” “I Want to Write You a Song” has a pure sound. Basically a male version of Ingrid Michaelson’s 2006 song “The Way I Am,” the song utilizes sweet acoustics and light vocals. Although far more upbeat than “I Want to Write You a Song,” “Olivia” channels similar romantic feelings. Almost reflective of early Beatles or even Billy Joel, “Olivia” is a cutesy throwback song and a good sing-in-the-shower jam.

As the first single released since Zayn’s exit, “Drag Me Down” helped reassure Directioners of the band’s resilience. Midtempo but still very poppy, the song debuted third on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July, and is still currently in the top 25 songs on ITunes. The song’s relatable pop lyrics and nice beat drop are irresistible, with potential to sway even dedicated One Direction haters.

Made in the A.M. features a wide range of tunes, from soft acoustics to pop jams to power ballads, that isn’t found in One Direction’s earlier albums. The band certainly hasn’t suffered from the loss of Zayn and seems to have even redefined itself since his absence to include more influences. Though the band plans to take a hiatus in 2016, its seems to be getting better at doing what it does.