The music industry is always changing and renewing. Every single year, new artists get their chance to fame and some others keep to hold the crown they already have. However, many names still don’t get the recognition they deserve, which makes us, fans, the main source of their popularity. One example is the American boyband Why Don’t We, a talented pop-rock group that promises to win your heart.
With five members aged 19 to 22, Why Don’t We was formed in 2016 by Daniel Seavey, Jack Avery, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais and Zach Herron. The boys, who were already friends and a little famous on the internet, decided to unite talents and form a band. The name, in fact, came up from this idea, when they thought “why don’t we form a band?”. After that, everything changed – for the better.
Their first single was Taking You, main track of the Only the Beginning EP, released in November 2016. The song was a success and was the first step to the charts they would achieve some years later. After three other EPs, their singles kept growing in the music industry, making history with names like Trust Fund Baby, Hooked and Something Different.
Only in 2018, they released their first album, 8 Letters, which made their names very requested everywhere around the world. Two years later, they did a social media blackout, a time to make new music – and very good ones. On November 12th, 2020, they announced their second studio album: The Good Times And The Bad Ones, with the perspective of having music we could enjoy in the good times and feel comforted by in the bad ones. Brilliant, right?
The album debuted on January 15th, 2021 and, just some weeks later, the band earned number 1 in the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, their very first time in that position. Therefore, it is no secret the album has been a huge success, and it is definitely a masterpiece you should listen to. Want some reasons to do so? I will show you!
- Songs for every moment!
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With 10 tracks and a 32-minute run time, the album has songs very different from one another, tackling themes like love, loss, highs and lows. The first one is the single Fallin’ (Adrenaline), the one that makes you feel like dancing and screaming your lungs out. Talking about what we are willing to do when in love, this opening track is a perfect start.
Following, there is Slow Down, a song that could easily be part of a coming-of-age movie, nailing the “rethinking a relationship” thing and enchanting by its purity and lively beat. In fact, Lotus Inn, the third track, also has that upbeat essence, carrying a perfect party energy and the feeling of an endless love.
On the other hand, for those moments that you just feel like being quiet, the song Grey is quite a good option for you. Having a very emotional aura, this ballad expresses the heartbreaking feeling of losing a love. Very intimate, the track also has some breathtaking falsettos that just make everything prettier.
- Important messages are never too much
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However, bad feelings are not only heartbreaks; and Why Don’t We knows that very well. The fourth track of the album, Be Myself, is very deep, meaningful and, personally, one of my favorites. The lyrics about anxiety hugs everyone who is listening to it, and brings the comforting feeling of “you are not alone”.
The song, written by Daniel Seavey, is actually about Jack Avery’s own experience with anxiety. Verses like “we’re dancing on the edge / of anxiety’s ledge / and I might fall again” are strong and very powerful, being relatable to everyone who struggles with the same thing. Honestly, I feel like it’s kind of a hug for those days that we need to feel comforted and better with ourselves. In my opinion, Why Don’t We did a great job by mixing happy songs with sad ones, because that’s life: not everyday will be the best day, and it is okay.
- They wrote and produced everything!
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Another outstanding thing about this album is that they wrote and produced every single lyric and track! In the band, Daniel and Jonah are the main composers but we have songs all of them made part of. About producing, they said in some interviews they were a little scared about doing it on their own but, after talking to their producers, everything came out amazingly good. “This album is the first time that we’ve ever really told the story ourselves”, said Corbyn Besson for the American Songwriter magazine.
Moreover, this is the first time they decided to show the world how amazing multi-instrumentalists they are! Trying to bring more authenticity to their sound, they embraced their talents and now we can see them play a lot more instruments in their music videos, like guitars, drums and basses.
- Authenticity and new identity
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“I feel like this is the first album to us that feels truly like Why Don’t We sound”, said Daniel Seavey in an interview for the Brazilian YouTuber Foquinha. And, honestly, we can feel that too!
New sounds, deeper lyrics and a great 2000s rock nostalgia, this new album is certainly a big step to show who they truly are as a band. Besides the instruments, the change from pop to pop-rock is another highlight. Since they started, they are told to follow the pattern boybands should, being even constantly compared to One Direction, for example. Nevertheless, even though they love 1D just as much as we do, they have their own kind of music and personality – and that should be respected.
Thus, The Good Times And The Bad Ones is a reminder that this is who Why Don’t We truly is and we couldn’t be prouder! This authenticity they try to express in the album is very tangible and true, giving us a sample of what they are capable of and their huge talent.
Finally, this album might not be the revolution of pop, but it definitely is the revolution of Why Don’t We and that, above all, should be celebrated. If you haven’t heard it, you surely should, we promise you won’t regret it!
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The article above was edited by Giullia Cartaxo.
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