FOUR by One Direction. – Album Review

IT’S FINALLY HERE!

If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of teenage girls all over the world absolutely losing their minds, myself included. Just yesterday, One Direction’s brand new album, titled ‘FOUR’ graced the earth, and personally, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The album took as drastic turn from the pure pop tracks we’re used to from this boy band, and instead incorporated the pop melodies we all love with a little bit of a rock twist. And who doesn’t love that?!

(photo credit- onedirection)

The album opens with the first single called ‘Steal My Girl’. I reckon this is a perfect way to start the album. It’s just so damn catchy! This track draws you in and gives you the illusion that this is going to be just another pop album that we are all going to hate to admit we love, but the next track ‘Ready To Run’ quickly shoots down that idea. With the acoustic guitar dominating this song, you nearly get a folk vibe from this song with the same contagious chorus element that One Direction are known for. After I heard this song, I had no idea where the rest of the album was going. ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’ is the next track, and I can just imagine the tidal wave of fangirls asdfghkjl-ing to this one. The lyrics are the kind to get grafittied on every 13 year old girl’s school books. While staying true to their pop roots, the chorus of this one is a lot heavier than I expected. I love it. Then ’18’: a serious contender for my favourite song on the album. This acoustic anthem is definitely one I’ve had on repeat for the last 24 hours. It’s still pop, but very subtly. After the calm of this track came the storm with ‘Girl Almighty’. This is so pop, it hurts. IT’S JUST SO UPBEAT AND FUN. I will admit that I’ve been dancing around like an idiot to this track. This is the track that made me realise that this album will translate amazingly to a live stage. Up next is ‘Fool’s Gold’. After reading through other people’s thoughts on this song, it seems that not many people were that overwhelmed by it. Part of me does see how it can be seen as just a fill-in track, but I quite like it. It’s a lot more mellow than the rest of the album. Then again, another change of pace. ‘Night Changes’ is just SO GREAT. Another acoustic ballad, this track was placed perfectly in between the tornado of pop tunes to show their diversity. They really can do everything it seems. Aaaaaaaand we’re up tempo again with ‘No Control’. This song is pop-rock at its absolute finest. Another song on here that will be amazing in a live sense, and another one for the potential favourites list.

For me, the incredibleness of the album quickly faded. ‘Fireproof’ is up next, and when 1D released this about a month ago as a free download, everyone lost their damn minds. Honestly I’m really that phased by this song. I just feel like it’s quite placid and a whole lot of the same thing. Not terrible, but one that I can see myself skipping. I thought the exact same for the next track ‘Spaces’. AND THEN, ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. This is the most rock song on the album and I just love it. There’s quite a lot of drums in it, and I really didn’t expect that from a One Direction song. Another contender for the favourite. (I literally have no idea what my favourite is, in case you haven’t figured that out already.) Just when my hopes for the album were picking back up, ‘Clouds’ started. I feel like this song is trying way too hard to be a power ballad. I mean, it’s definitely not bad by any means, I just don’t really get it. One minute, verse is quiet and tame, and then the chorus is really in your face with high notes and guitar riffs. Too much variation in one song isn’t always a good thing. I actually felt myself vaguing out to this one and forgot that I was actually supposed to be paying attention. So that’s the end of the normal album. On to the deluxe edition’s bonus tracks!

The first of the bonus tracks, ‘Change Your Ticket’, is definitely my favourite out of the four. The lyrics are a little cheeky and is teamed perfectly with the pop-rock melody. I’ve had this one on repeat for a while, not going to lie. Then ‘Illusion’. I mean, it’s definitely not my favourite, but it’s okay I guess. The chorus is definitely the stand-out element of this song, with nothing else REALLY grabbing my attention. ‘Once In A Lifetime’ is pretty cute lyrically. Another acoustic one, but I got the vibe that it’s just kind of… there. The one thing that struck me about this song more than anything is their harmony in the chorus. Damn, these guys really can sing. And lastly, ‘Act My Age’. I’m so happy that they ended the album on an up beat, pop note. The lyrics made me laugh, and again, it’s just so catchy. Did anyone else get a little bit of a country vibe from this track? Because I sure did. All in all, I thought this was a great album, and their musical progression and maturity is blatantly obvious. It just makes me so excited to see them in Sydney next February. From this album, it’s sure to be one hell of a party.

Tracklist:

1. Steal My Girl
2. Ready To Run
3. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
4. 18
5. Girl Almighty
6. Fool’s Gold
7. Night Changes
8. No Control
9. Fireproof
10. Spaces
11. Stockholm Syndrome
12. Clouds
13. Change Your Ticket
14. Illusion
15. Once In A Lifetime
16. Act My Age

The album came out on November 17th and is now available on iTunes. Let me know what you kids think! Are YOU loving 1D’s new sound?

Stay awesome.

– Charlotte