One Direction says goodbye with album


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Move over, Justin Bieber. One Direction’s highly anticipated fifth album, Made in the A.M., hit shelves on Friday. Sadly, after the sudden departure of former band member Zayn Malik, One Direction officially became a foursome. Harry Styles told USA Today that Made in the A.M. is “the best album we feel we’ve done.” And the new album proves that’s the case.

Since the X Factor days, I have followed every move, word, tweet and Instagram post from the boys. This time, though, One Direction is saying goodbye. Because there was a huge publicity blitz around Bieber’s Purpose, it was tough for the boys of One Direction to promote their new album when everyone had already marked their gravestone, especially in the wake of Malik’s exit and the group’s announcement that they’re taking a break. Brushing off the rumors, the remaining members have tried to keep up their musical growth since the release of Up All Night in 2011.

Made in the A.M. is the kind of record that the world’s biggest boy band makes when it’s time to bid farewell. Made in the A.M. is One Direction’s Abbey Road. The album has Beatles-influence written all over it. With a more mature and rock influenced sound, A.M. highlights the band’s many charms — sharp hooks, tight harmonies, playfulness and melodramatic anguish. The reggae spirit and guitar riffs of the lead single “Drag Me Down,” took me by surprise and left me less bothered about Malik’s departure.  I asked myself, “Could this really be One Direction’s new sound?” It sets the pace for “Perfect,” the second single and my personal favorite. “Perfect,” is an alleged Taylor Swift kiss-off and a typical One Direction pop anthem.

A.M. is full of sensitive breakup lyrics, as evident in “History” — “Hey girl, before you go, let’s toast the mini bars, expensive cars, hotel rooms and new tattoos / The good champagne and private planes.” The boys slow it down with the heartbreaking ballad “Long Way Down.” Ballads “Infinity” and “If I Could Fly,” are sweet too, yet sound like rehashes of what they boys have already done with fan favorite “Night Changes.” But after crying my eyes out with the last two, “Never Enough,” is a fast tempo song that sounds like it came straight from the ’80s and shows off Liam Payne’s impressive notes.

If Made in the A.M. does end up being One Direction’s final album, I would be disappointed. Indeed, it is a step up from last year’s folk-pop Four and the rock vibe of Midnight Memories, but it’s not quite as enjoyable as their first two albums. Not going to lie, if you are expecting a Take Me Home 2.0, you might be disappointed. The boys show no signs of slacking; they co-wrote nine out of the 13 songs on the album. If anything, they are showing they are getting even better. However, Made in the A.M. follows the same moral as every other One Direction album — teen fan girls are the only ones that matter. When you are a male singer, or a group of male singers, you have to give those girls what they want, since they make you or break you.

Since the band will not be touring this album, I wonder which songs would be the most likely to be performed live other than “Drag Me Down,” and “Perfect,” which were added to the set list for the end of the band’s On the Road Again tour. Honestly, any of the 13 songs would be amazing live. They are all good tunes. It’s sad to see another boy band disintegrate. Fame came quickly for One Direction. In less than three years I had the opportunity to see them live twice in venues increasing in size. Who knows what their musical legacy will be, but faithful fans -— including myself — are willing to follow them in whatever direction they are going in.

Ikram Navia is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. Her column, “Fresh Beats,” runs every other Monday.