One Direction’s fame has skyrocketed over the past two and a half years. With sold-out tours and dozens of YouTube records broken, it’s no surprise to hear that they’ve become the biggest boy band on the planet. One Direction’s latest album, Midnight Memories, dropped this past week. As their third album, Midnight Memories marks as the band’s departure from the stereotypical boy band teen pop to a more mature rock/pop/indie sound. The boys, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, also co-wrote each song featured on the album.
The tracks “Best Song Ever,” “Diana,” “Little White Lies,” “Better Than Words” and “Does He Know” stay true to the band’s original pop sound with a bit of a heavier rock influence. These songs serve as a bridge between their previous pop album, Take Me Home, and Midnight Memories—while the pop music is still present, these songs use heavier guitar riffs. “Better Than Words,” a bonus track on the deluxe version of the album, is completely made up of song titles, poking fun at the stereotypical boy band music. And “Does He Know” emulates the classic 80’s hit, “Jessie’s Girl”.
The album’s title track, “Midnight Memories,” “Alive” and “Little Black Dress” feature a Lenny Kravitz/Deff Leppard guitar opening and set the stage for the band’s mature rock vibe. Each include heavy guitar, heavy drums and “Midnight Memories” is the first song in which the band comes close to cussing: “People talk shh/but we don’t listen/Same old shh/but a different day.” Songs like “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” and “Right Now” are slower rock ballads with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder’s songwriting influence. “Strong” imitates Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” while “Why Don’t We Go There,” co-written with the members of McFly has pop-punk influences.
“Story of My Life” is the album’s second single, showcasing the band’s new (somewhat) indie sound with emotional lyrics and an acoustic guitar. “You & I,” Half a Heart” and “Through The Dark” are softer tunes, showcasing the boys’ amazing vocal ranges and songwriting talents. “Happily” and “Something Great” were both written by Harry; each carry an anthemic folk-rock vibe and were inspired by Mumford & Sons and Snow Patrol respectively.
Midnight Memories is One Direction’s best album to date. While the first two records featured typical boy band songs, it seems that the boys of 1D have finally gained creative control. Between writing all the songs and playing their own instruments, it seems that One Direction have finally found their sound. Midnight Memories is a great album, and if you haven’t been entirely fond of One Direction, give this a listen and see if it changes your mind.