Ah, One Direction. I can’t deny that I’m a huge fan, though it shocks some people. It shocks me, too. I didn’t really choose to like One Direction; it just kind of happened. After listening to a few songs, watching a few interviews, I was hooked. I guess that’s exactly what their marketing team wants to happen.

One Direction’s fourth album has creatively been titled Four. Released November 17th, the album accumulated the hype and hysteria that usually accompanies anything, and I mean anything, that One Direction does. However, Four garnered particular excitement from fans and critics alike because of the ever-evolving sound of One Direction. According to Internet rumors, One Direction would be writing more of their own songs (wow, what a novel idea) instead of relying entirely on professional songwriters.

When listening to Four, it becomes completely apparent that One Direction has abandoned their bubblegum-pop roots in favor of a more mature sound. Overall, I would definitely consider the album to be pop, but it’s not the kind that sticks itself in my head until all I can think is, “Let’s go crazy, crazy, crazy ‘til we see the sun!” No, Four is much more distinguished than its predecessors. I probably would feel a lot less embarrassed singing to it in my car. Probably.

The first thing I must say about this album is that I didn’t dislike any song. Each track is skillfully put together. The harmonies are beautiful; the music varies from the song to song, a welcome difference to the blasé drum-machine beats that often are associated with pop albums.

However, a running complaint I have with One Direction is their overuse of love songs. Every track on Four is a love song; there is absolutely no variation. I’d love to see One Direction challenge themselves and write a song about something other than a made-up love scenario. It probably won’t happen, though, because their target demographic is love-hungry teenage girls.

Despite the repetitiveness of the content, I did enjoy Four very much. The best song, in my opinion, is “Fireproof.” The harmonies are amazing, as One Direction’s harmonies notoriously are. Even though this track uses the dreaded drumming machine, it makes up for it by a few good guitar riffs.

Overall, Four is definitely worth a listen. I would even recommend it to those that had previously written off One Direction. Four is unique amongst One Direction albums in that it doesn’t just sound like the manufactured, boring, and predictable bubblegum-pop that some previously associated with One Direction. I give this album 4 out of 5 stars.