Album Review: One Direction – Made In The A.M.
2 min read
It’s been a whirlwind few years for megastar collective One Direction but finally on the come down from a very impressive 6 years the lads have released their fifth studio album, Made In The A.M. This is the final album before the band goes on hiatus and they made sure it’s an accurate representation of the band today and not whom they were when they began.
There’s an air of maturity within this release. Made In The A.M. is home to a number of heartfelt ballads that show just how much One Direction has grown as a band. Opening up the album you’re treated to Hey Angel, a sweet symphony of sound with the lyrical hook “I wish I could be more like you / Do you wish you could be more like me?” chanted over an impressive riff. It’s melodically similar to second single Perfect, in the sense that there’s depth in the instrumentals that compliment the vocals tenfold. Stripping back the ballad formula is If I Could Fly, an established track with subtle piano keys being the main beat behind the vocals. It stays fairly smooth in the beginning until it builds up with the use of a string section and powerful vocal overlay towards the end as each of the lads sincerely croon, “For your eyes only I’ll show you my heart”.
Picking up the pace but keeping on with eloquent snapshots from the heart is the cheeky up-tempo track End Of The Day. While on the surface it does sound like your typical One Direction hopeful love song with a steady clap rhythm. If you look further into the lyrics it captures a nod to love equality, gushing, “all I know at the end of the day is you love who you love, there ain’t no other way”. Then to make sure you haven’t nodded off during the slower songs you’re assaulted by the opening grunts of the bold Never Enough. It’s a sound that seemingly comes out of nowhere and it’s a track you won’t be forgetting anytime soon with a big chorus of tribal sounding bass beat and the frantic repetition of lyrics “It’s never enough”.
Unfortunately with an album that’s home to a big 17 tracks, some are certain to be left by the wayside on the first few listens. Whether your heart was hooked by the ballads or your body was more inclined to the high-energy dance jams others miss the mark. Songs like almost forgotten buzz single Infinity, one note Long Way Down or the closing few tracks of the standard edition don’t make the impact of the other hard hitters that Made In The A.M. boasts. Although not the home runs of the album the four deluxe edition tracks do make quite a nice addition to the latest release from one of the biggest pop bands in the world.
