MIDNIGHT MEMORIES // ONE DIRECTION

A social stigma surrounds boybands and I am here to both solidify it as well as try to smash it into pieces. That made no sense, but nothing has made sense since this album leaked last week. I mean...since my pre-ordered copy was available to download at midnight *wink*. Their third studio album, Midnight Memories, is nothing like its predecessors Up All Night and Take Me Home. In a text to my mother the morning after downloading said album I said that it "was a simultaneous combination of Mumford & Sons, 80's rock, and Jesus." Perhaps a little blasphemous, but that is how strongly I feel about this album. It only feels right to go through song by song and describe how I feel about each. Because that is what people really care about, how an 18 year old feels about One Direction.

"Best Song Ever" feels like it was an album late, yet the whole "Baba O'Riley" soundalike intro makes me think otherwise. I love this song more than I love my cats. No joke.

"Story Of My Life" made a mess of my life. Be still my beating heart. Can we talk about the music video for a second? If you did not shed a tear, you are a robot, no doubt.

"Diana" makes you want to change your name. I have been getting ready to this song in the morning and I burn my hand on my curling iron every day because I cannot keep myself from moving.

"Midnight Memories" is like Def Leppard ("Pour Some Sugar On Me") meets The Troggs ("Wild Thing"). The title of this song (and album) sounds like something I should be having in college but am too lazy to put effort into. Meh, whatever. I would much rather sit in my room on a Friday night listening to this album.

All I can say about "You and I" is that Zayn's high note took me to a whole new level.

I immediately cried and called my mom upon listening to "Don't Forget Where You Belong". Bless you, McFly, for writing this wonderful nugget, and Niall for helping.

"Strong" is ALWAYS stuck in my head. The chorus is infectious, INFECTIOUS I tell you!

"Happily" is like holy Mumford & Sons. This is definitely a new sound for the One Direction boys, but it is definitely something I would not mind seeing more of in the future.

"Right Now" is a track they worked on with Ryan Tedder, which I did not have to read about to know because he has a signature (kind of boring, sorry) melancholic tone to his songs. Not my favorite on the album, but it is a nice break from the upbeat songs.

"Little Black Dress"? More like HELLO 1980's. This song makes me want to put on red lipstick, an all black ensemble, and go out and do some naughty things (preferably with the single boys of 1D). I want you to see the way I would move for you, Harry Styles.

I can imagine the recording process of "Through the Dark". Harry Styles leaning back in his ripped jeans with his brown boots thinking that he finally was in an indie band like he had always wanted to be.

"Something Great" more like Something-mycreyz-Great. Is it too much to ask for something great? is a question I ask myself daily. Thank you for giving me a song to sing along to.

"Little White Lies" made my ovaries explode. This song has the most plays (excluding SOML and BSE) from the album on my iTunes right now and for a good reason. This song is definitely the most pop-driven, perhaps even more than "Best Song Ever", but I could definitely see someone (not myself, because I do not go out ever) getting down to this in a club. The song is sexy and catchy. It is the "Rock Me" of Midnight Memories.

Everything was Niall's solo about a girl's hips not lying and nothing hurt. Thank you, "Better Than Words" for making that adorable Irish lad ten times more attractive.

"Why Don't We Go There"...I don't know, why don't we? I call shotgun.

"Does He Know?" is the 2013 version of Rick Springfield's iconic "Jessie's Girl". This further supports my description of the album and for that, I salute this song.

"Alive" is how I feel about college except not really. I would really love for Niall to take me up to the balcony though. And to his bedroom. And to the altar. I do not know if it was intentional or not, but they seem to take a stab at calling out slut-shaming by saying that if it makes you feel alive, it should not matter what people will think. I can respect that.

"Half a Heart" is neither a hit nor a miss for me. At this point in the album, I am usually just waiting for it to repeat again so I can listen to "Little White Lies".

I feel like a lot of growing up occurred between Take Me Home and Midnight Memories, which helped produce this interesting record. You could make the argument that it makes no sense and that there is no clear sound. I would not disagree with you, but to me that is what makes this album so great. You get to see who these boys really are. They are young men who come from from different places and have different sounds. They are pop, 80's rock, folk, indie, whatever they want to be. They were not confined to a cookie cutter sound with sweet harmonies and solos done solely by Harry, Liam and Zayn. I am going to give Louis Tomlinson the spotlight he deserves right here. On the deluxe of Midnight Memories, Louis has an impressive 12 songwriting credits. TWELVE. Liam closely follows with 9, but Louis remains victorious. Not enough has been said about Louis' involvement with the album, so I figured I would put that little tidbit of information out there.

This album gets 4 out of 5 stars from me. If you are not a One Direction fan, give "Strong" or "Little Black Dress" a listen.

*For fans of: The Vamps, One Republic, Parachute, and Phillip Phillips*