I went to the first listen for One Direction’s new album ‘Made in the A.M’ and here’s what I think of it. It’s raw. It’s deep. It’s something I never would have expected to hear from One Direction. Of course, the boys songs have never failed to make me feel something inside, but this time around, I was at a loss for words. I have never experienced something so chilling and pure. You could tell from the moment ‘Hey Angel’ began playing how important this album is to One Direction and the things I felt for it was absolutely crazy. You can hear all of the hard work and emotion that went into this album. This is authentic, quality music and the writing is a masterpiece.
I could really connect with the music and feel it run deep. When they said this album was more mature, they really weren’t kidding. Maturity was the key thing everyone was looking for in this album and I strongly believe that they’ve achieved this. I think the song that was most hard hitting was ‘If I Could Fly’ for so many reasons. This song alone was filled with so much raw passion and emotion and you could hear it in each one of their voices. The song itself had me breathless and on the verge of tears. It really was one of those moments where you had to sit back and think about how far they’ve come and how deep their talent actually runs.
Regarding the song writing, it was absolutely phenomenal. The lyrics were powerful, self-spoken, and once again, raw. I’ve gotten nothing but good vibes from each song and every single one was completely unique to its sound, meaningful in it’s own way and downright impressive. Some were lively and optimistic, while others were enough to drive you to tears. They were definitely thought provoking and all in all, beautiful.
My personal favorite off of the album are ‘If I Could Fly’, ‘Hey Angel’, ‘Olivia’, ‘Walking in the Wind’, and ‘A.M’. ‘Olivia’ sounds like something straight out of the 50’s-60’s era with a bit of a twist. The composition, melody line and instrumentals to it were incredible. ‘If I Could Fly’ is genuinely such an exquisite song, and Harry has once again outdone himself with the writing. ‘Walking in the Wind’ is just one of those songs that carries a bit of hidden meaning behind it, and can be seen however you see fit. The chorus was strong and the duration of the song left me speechless.
One Direction’s vocals have really hit their peak and I’ve watched them grow and change over the past five years, so needless to say, I was incredibly proud and nothing less. Niall’s best moment by far was his verse in long way down. The grit in his voice was indescribable. Liam’s voice is undoubtedly strong and secure and his vocals just fit so well with each and every song. Unfortunately, we didn’t get enough falsetto from him on this album but there’s always album number 6 to look forward to. Louis’ has come so far with his vocal ability and confidence levels and I can promise you that this album with showcase his incredible talent. I was thoroughly impressed and I hope that when the album was finalized, Louis was too. And last but not least, we move on to Harry’s voice. His vocals still remain timeless, comforting, and refined. Harry has proven time and time again how lyrically and vocally capable he is, and that goes for all of the boys as well.
I can honestly say that I’ve never been prouder of these four boys and this album has most definitely proven that it isn’t the end, and it won’t be for a while. This album is so much better than anything they have ever done in the past. The lyrics, composition and vocals are so much stronger than anyone would have ever expected. The music is free flowing, artistically creative, and I will never truly be able to express how impressed I am with their music. Again, this was by far their strongest album yet and I’m 100% sure that even people outside of the fandom will be completely awestruck at the depth of it.
Don’t forget to grab your copy of ‘Made in the A.M’ which comes out on November 13th!