On Friday Nov. 13, One Direction’s fifth album, “Made in The A.M.,” officially made its debut. On Twitter, band members Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson had been counting down the days until their fans got to hear the album, and as a fan of over three and a half years, I have to say: this is my favorite album by far. I expect it to not only keep the current fan base alive during the long hiatus, but to also bring in a ton of new people who finally appreciate their sound. But enough about me; here’s why I think that anyone with a pulse should listen to One Direction’s new album, “Made in the A.M.”
The album starts off with the rhythmic “Hey Angel,” a song Directioners had been waiting weeks to hear specifically because of Harry’s constant tweeting of its lyrics. The song has awesome guitar moments and a beat that will definitely sound great in stadiums. It’s somewhat slow in the beginning, but the song picks up towards the end as it leads you into the final reprise of the chorus, when Harry comes in and reminds us just exactly how swoon-worthy he can be (as if we could ever forget). Then we move on to “Drag Me Down,” “Perfect” and “Infinity.” While the songs may not truly represent the more mature sound of the album, they add the fun, pop sound that fans are used to. And hey, two of them already have fantastic music videos so I’m certainly not complaining.
From there, we have “End of the Day.” From the minute I heard Harry sing, “just me, her and the moon,” I knew the song would be one of my favorites on the album. The song has three distinctly different sounds, but regardless of what part you’re listening to, you’re going to be stomping, clapping and swaying until you get to Louis’ high note and you lose consciousness. Next is “If I Could Fly,” which is one of the slower songs on the album. It’s a soft and sweet song that has, in my opinion, one of the best moments on the album: at the end Louis, Niall, Harry and Liam each sing a line of the chorus solo with a ton of soul. After that, Harry comes in with a high note that you don’t have time to prepare for because all of the boys are suddenly singing again.
After “If I Could Fly” finishes you move into “Long Way Down,” another slow song. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album and it has a tambourine-esque vibe. As the song closes, you have about four seconds before the next song, and then you hear “HUAH” and you’re so confused because you’re trying to figure out what that is doing on a One Direction song. But then your confusion immediately turns into love as you hear more and more of “Never Enough.” The song has a very barber-shop quartet feel throughout its entirety, but the best moment is when the boys sing, “Come on” and the horns are everywhere and you can’t help dancing because it’s got one of the most infectious beats on the album.
“Olivia” is next, and between the “hey hey” in the chorus, the live-studio-recording aspect that happens in the beginning and the end, Harry singing about “the summer time and butterflies” (can you tell that I’m a Harry girl) and Louis concluding the song with a passionate “don’t let me go;” this song is one that will have girls lining up to have their names changed to Olivia. Then comes “What A Feeling,” a song that has somewhat of a Fleetwood Mac vibe and a great Niall high note, so what’s not to love? After that is “Love You Goodbye” – a slow, sad song that the boys sound just about as good singing live as they do on the album (they performed it on Ellen and on Good Morning America on Nov. 17). Look up the live recordings for further heartbreak.
The twelfth song on the album is “I Want to Write You a Song,” and while the lyrics are a little out there, it’s a sweet, fun song with a cute sentiment, soothing guitar (that I’m sure Niall will play live) and lots of long, drawn out notes from all of the boys. The last song on the regular version of the album is “History,” one of the songs that was released before the actual album if you preordered it. The best part of the song isn’t the clapping, or the amazing chorus or Louis’ part at the end – it’s the fact that the boys specifically wrote this song for the fans, which makes the lyrics all the more special.
If you’ve ordered the deluxe album (which you always should), then you have four more songs to look forward to. “Temporary Fix,” a song with more “mature” subject matter than One Direction fans are used to, is super up tempo and—dare I say it—sexy. It has a very “Midnight Memories” sound, but better because it’s faster and raunchier. Then comes “Walking in the Wind” – a favorite of mine not only for the lyrics or the vocal range Harry displays in his second solo, but because the instrumentals and background stuff happening in the song is so interesting. The boys definitely had some fun experimenting with this song because Louis’ solo brings the song a melody One Direction has never come close to before. “Wolves” will make you want to snap and skip around, and the “oooooooh” in the chorus will make you want to “howl” the lyrics at the top of your lungs. Last, but certainly not least, the album’s namesake, “A.M.” is a slow song that all of the boys wrote together. Personally, I think it has one of the best lyrics on the whole album: “all my favorite conversations always made in the A.M.” Plus, they curse for like the first time ever: progress.
Overall, I have to say: this album is one of One Direction’s most mature yet, and we’ll definitely miss them on their haitus!