After 20 years of songwriting, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites still continue to break barriers of modern society concepts through their fifth studio album, “Automatic.”
The album takes listeners on an 11-track journey through the inside mind of the narrator. The songs each represent a moment from where they felt trapped into the loop of standard life.
The release of the album started a month early when The Lumineers released the first single off the album, “Same Old Song.” The song takes the audience on an experience, with lyrics that reveal the narrator’s greatest challenges, masked by the upbeat tones and fast pace of the song. A lyric that is repeated in the chorus is “We sing the same old song,” playing on the thought of not being content with the path they have gone down and feeling that every day is the same.
Like most of The Lumineers albums, the theme is more apparent the further listeners go through the album. The message of never living up to the expectations because apparent in the fourth track and album title, “Automatic,” creates a heartbreaking melody touched with lyricism that is up for the listener’s own interpretation. “Oh, lover, is it ever going to be enough,” relays the impossible expectations people set and how, no matter what, no one is ever going to be happy.
The sixth track creates the idea that everyone is always changing to fit into whatever social environment they are in; “Plasticine” paints the abstract picture of fitting into the mold of what everyone expects us to be. The song starts off right away with the lyric “Plasticine, I can bend me into anything you need.” The song initiates that idea that no one is really truly themselves and is always changing depending on the situation.
“If I can’t make you happy, then nobody can” is the chorus on the seventh track, “Ativan.” Like its namesake the narrator uses the drug ativan to explain the perspective of the drug. The song shows the impact and role people play in others lives, Ativan is conveyed as being the magic solution to solving peoples issues however the problem is a lot more complex.
“Keys on the Table” is a song that amplifies the thoughts that come seconds after a big argument with your significant other. “And honestly / I feel ashamed to breathe,” shows the instant remorse of the narrator when they know that the relationship is ending. “Keys on the Table,” is able to show the intensity of the narrator’s feelings.
The album as a whole showcases Schultz climax in his voice as he goes through each song. It captures the raw emotion through fast changing rhythms, going from an upbeat tune to a slowed down pace in the matter of a couple of lyrics.
This album might not have had the stomp clap songs like “Ho Hey” and “Cleopatra.” However, looking overall at the band’s musical trends, the album fits the trend of producing quantity and quality with their songwriting, production, and musicality.
