‘Made in the A.M.’ refreshes

The boy band of this decade; you either hate them or love them.

Or if you are like me, you are obsessed with them.

One Direction, the multi-platinum band from the United Kingdom, have release some cookie-cutter pop tunes in their day but to claim their new album is like the others would be complete rubbish.

“Made in the A.M.,” the band’s fifth studio album and first without former bandmate Zayn Malik, has to be one of my favorites. The sound is so eclectic and there is at least one song on the album that can turn skeptics into fans.

The first song on the album “Hey Angel” is a subtle way to introduce “Made in the A.M.” Not too catchy, not too out of the ordinary.

Once you get into the middle of the album you really begin to hear the new, different material. “End of the Day” is a firework; bursting in all sorts of directions (no pun intended) but an astonishingly beautiful scene to take in. Switches between tempos and keys keep the song interesting.

“If I Could Fly” will melt your heart after breaking it into a million pieces.

— Suzy Stone

The songs meaning entails that One Direction’s hearts are “for your eyes only,” which if that does not make you feel like you are living vicariously through One Directions love lives, I do not know what will.

“What a Feeling” is a song that surprised me when listening in the most delightful way. The best way to describe this tune is to imagine a roller skating rink in the 1970s with groovy disco lights and some fashionable threads.

Yeah, I was not expecting that either.

“Wolves” reminds me of end credits to a movie about a summer camp. Odd, woodsy and lighthearted. This is easily one of my favorites because it is so different from the music that they were making three years ago, when I was first introduced to One Direction.

Coming from a long-time listener of this band, I highly recommend giving “Made in the A.M.” a listen, even if you do not consider yourself a fan. One Direction may just surprise you like they surprised me.