One Direction has said “Love You Goodbye.”
The British boy band is embarking on hiatus for at least a year beginning March 2016. In its fifth and perhaps final album, “Made in the A.M.,” One Direction delivers catchy chorus melodies and emotional indie rock. The members also stray away from their tried-and-tested pop formula by experimenting with unfortunate vague ballads and folksy tunes.
The singles on “Made in the A.M.” compose some of the album’s best tracks. “Drag Me Down” and “Perfect” embody One Direction’s famous jams with upbeat rhythms and choruses, which will satisfy lovers of its chart-topping songs like “Live While We’re Young.”
The only other song that returns full-force with pop is “Temporary Fix” later in the album. The song soars into classic boy-band mode – quick and cheerful with the get-on-your-feet tempo of “No Control” from the band’s fourth record “Four.”
The band’s romance numbers have saccharine lyrics, but they remain the most familiar and thus enjoyable of “Made in the A.M.”
Presumably to toy with their potential grown-up solo careers or to convey their newfound maturity, the boys dive into a pit of non-pop songs after the album’s initial singles. However, experimenting with folk and country influences doesn’t work for listeners that expect their usual pop or soft ’80s rock.
“Never Enough” includes a background chant of “ah-ooah” in a burst of country swing and rock. Likewise, “Olivia” is dreadfully bouncy with string instrumentals and lyrics about summertime and butterflies.
Listeners are saved with the calm and sentimental “History,” which is still folksy but more bearable than “Olivia.” The song is reflective of the band’s journey and the history the members have had with each other, their lovers and their fans.
One Direction’s most diverse album yet is fresh but strange, as the band decides to change directions by incorporating folk sounds that don’t fit their cute romantic image. The members seem to try to prove their diverse musical abilities by presenting other genres. They act moody and artsy – but that’s not what One Direction is known for.
One Direction also offers soft rock like “End of the Day” and ballads such as “Love You Goodbye” and “Infinity,” which seem more authentically emotional than party numbers but also feature vague, juvenile lyrics.
“How many nights does it take to count the stars? / That’s the time it would take to fix my heart / Oh, baby, I was there for you / All I ever wanted was the truth, yeah, yeah,” Harry Styles belts out in “Infinity.” Despite the empty and impersonal lyrics, the rhythms are slow and touching, an asylum for those that cringe at the group’s cliche pop hits.
However, some ballads are too sugar-crusted compared to the rugged indie rock. The epitome is “I Want to Write You a Song,” whose slow hymn is only a faux attempt to add meaning to bland and childlike lyrics like “I want to build you a boat / One that’s as strong as you are free.”
The weird experimental pit of ballad and folk is not awful, but it exposes One Direction’s bland lyrics, which are forgiven or go unnoticed in catchier songs.
Four catchy songs conclude the deluxe album, as One Direction thankfully returns to the vibe of the previous two albums “Four” and “Midnight Memories,” blending in emotional ’80s rock.
“Wolves” has a wild chorus and nonsensical lyrics that characterize One Direction at its peak. “A.M.” shows the band has seen the morning, after being “Up All Night” three years ago in its first album, while “Walking in the Wind” is reminiscent of the band’s previous tunes “Ready to Run” and “Through the Dark.”
The latter two songs hit the sweet spot between party pop music and ballads; they have genuine meanings about moving on and growing up, which are bittersweet as the band temporarily bows out of the music world.
While the folk songs’ rhythms and the ballads’ ridiculous lyrics on “Made in the A.M.” are difficult to warm up to, the album is saved by lovable pop tracks and the increasingly routine soft rock music. One Direction managed to prove it didn’t need former member Zayn Malik’s high voice after all.
As the musicians take a break, One Direction remains the most popular boy band of the decade, completing its discography with a genuine and somber goodbye.
– Lindsay Weinberg