ONE DIRECTION. Business as usual.
The boys of One Direction may have lost the race to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 to Justin Bieber—but, that doesn’t make their record-peddling ability any less impressive, with chart-driving, radio-ready singles, like the thumping “Drag Me Down” and the anthemic “Infinity,” guaranteed to make pop aficionados sing-along with them.
Zayn Malik, one of the group’s more proficient vocalists before his unexpected departure, may have left 1D, but Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson render their songs like it’s business as usual.
They sing the big notes of the ballads, “If I Could Fly” and the “You & I”-channeling “Long Way Down,” with a sweeping flourish that effectively demonstrates that no one is indispensable—and, yes, any member of the remaining quartet is good enough to pick up the slack!
The album’s repertoire is composed of tunes that grow on you upon repeated spins, made more palatable by hook-heavy orchestration that makes One Direction’s songs hard to resist.
Generic, but earnest
The lyrics may be disposably generic in quality, but earnest in execution. It’s one of the qualities that has endeared the guys of 1D to their loyal followers—they give as good as they get!
If you want something rousing, you can’t go wrong with “End of the Day.” If you yearn for an easygoing track, “Never Enough” has finger-snapping and toe-tapping grooves that are as playful as the quartet’s hefty vocals.
If you’re partial to Jason Mraz, the album has something similar—“I Want To Write You A Song” is characterized by a folksy, jingly vibe.
The group’s evolving tastes and diversifying musical influences also evince growth—as “Olivia,” with its frisky, Beatles-esque patter, and “What A Feeling,” a memorably moody cut that recalls the dreamy melodies of Fleetwood Mac, prove.
The crowd-pleasing ballad, “Love You Goodbye,” just might help you come to terms with “withdrawal symptoms” after a severed relationship, heartbreak or rejection: “It’s inevitable/Everything that’s good comes to an end/It’s impossible to know if we can still be friends/The way you look, I know you didn’t come to apologize/I know there’s nothing I can do to change it/But, is it something that could be negotiated?” —Are you listening, Zayn?