The Lumineers’ new album was not an “Automatic” favorite
I, like millions of other folk music fans, love The Lumineers. I was introduced to The Lumineers in early middle school and ever since my first listen, this band has been one of my favorites. So, I was thrilled when in honor of Valentine’s day, the band released their fifth studio album, titled “Automatic.” This record features 11 tracks and plays for 32 minutes, making it their shortest album.
I enjoyed listening to this album because of its familiar composition, but I was underwhelmed. I wish the Lumineers took more risks within the production and had a more adventurous approach. The album itself was good, but not too memorable. There are redeemable elements and great tracks, but compared to their other projects, this release falls short.
Personally I did not care for the album cover. It is a distorted polaroid which holds symbolic meaning to the musicians, as it represents the past. Without deep diving, fans are left confused on why the cover is a bunch of colored blocks. I would have preferred a standard polaroid or a collage with sentimental significance. I feel like it is too harshly juxtaposed against their previous designs and is not aesthetically pleasing nor representative of the album. Additionally, some of the songs felt rushed and incomplete. I also wish that all the tracks had lyrics, as “Sunflowers” and “Plasticine” were only instrumental, which I feel like did not contribute much to the album.
My favorite songs off of the album are “Same Old Song” and “Keys on the Table.” I enjoyed these tracks due to their upbeat sounds and lyrical composition. My favorite lyrics from the album was the chorus of “Keys on the Table.” Specifically the lyrics, “Everybody knows, everybody knows Scared you had a bad heart And you’re sleeping in the carpark everybody knows you’re all I got.” These two tracks were the only ones I find myself constantly listening to after my initial hearing of the album.
Overall this album is worth the listen, but is not groundbreaking. I would strongly urge fans to just relisten to past releases.
