Album Review by Sarah Attiyat
changed how people see this band. Sifting through the reactions and feedback of the public on social media, some people were surprised that this was a release by One Direction, since they are often criticized for only playing ‘mainstream’ music appreciated by 15-year olds. Looking back at their first albums and comparing them to their more recent ones, Four and Made in the A.M., their music has definitely evolved and turned 180 degrees; c’mon, they were boys, BOYS, when they sang tunes like What Makes You Beautiful and Up All Night! *Facepalms*
I’ve begun to go off topic now, so back to the review: this album does not have a single root when it comes to its style; therefore I cannot describe it with one word. Songs like “Infinity” and “Walking in the Wind” have a Coldplay–esque feel to them and that’s not something very strange since Styles’ favourite band is Coldplay (mine too). The album is filled with powerful acapella tracks that show the band’s vocal abilities and synchronized harmonics, polishing Styles’ and Tomlinson’s high notes and dismissing people’s claims that no one can hit such pitches aside from Zayn Malik, a past member of the band. Not only
that, but exuberant and energetic mid-1980s drums and horns that recall the good old times of Fleetwood Mac are evident in a couple of songs like “What A Feeling”; that tune, especially with its blissful chorus, reminded me of Fleetwood Mac the second I listened to it (adding it to my mental chart of favourite songs). “Olivia”, with its pleasing instrumentals, has traces of the legendary Beatles, which makes sense since One Direction is technically the successor thereof (fame-wise).
What makes the professionally crafted work special is that it combines retro and modern tunes in a composition infused with indie, folk, and pleasant pop genres. One moment you are listening to a
piano instrumental or a slow-beat song with expressive lyrics, and then you are listening to a soft rock
song such as “Hey Angel” which reinvigorates the spirit and makes you dance to its hymns. No song is
like the other in this album, much like each one of One Direction’s albums has a different taste from