I Want to Write You A Review (or the really late One Direction Made in The A.M. Review)

Made in the A.M. Deluxe Edition! Finally! It came with a poster hihi 

I've been telling myself to write this post (among a ton of other posts I've yet to write) a long time ago but well, this blog has been made of posts that were basically a long time coming so yeah, better late than absent right?

I also just very recently got my copy of Made in the A.M. (MITAM) Deluxe (read: yesterday) and I just overhauled my blog with a theme that is obviously a play of 1D's latest album title so I thought, why not write a review? Zayn's album is also coming in twelve days and although I've yet to decide if I'll be making a review of that or not, I guess there'll be no better time to spill my thoughts about the fifth album before I could subconsciously make a comparison between the two (you know it's bound to happen, it's Zayn and 1D!)

Before anything else, I'd like to point out that I'm not a music expert. I'm just merely a fan, a casual listener who have enough favorite songs to distinguish those that I like and those I don't. Also, MITAM is my first album release since joining the fandom, which is a bit sad considering this is the album before the much talked about hiatus. There's this misery and bitterness that came with the excitement upon waiting for it but all of those were washed away when I heard it for the first time.

I'll be very honest here, I did listen to the leaked version haha! But hey, I bought an original copy and streamed it on Spotify so I considered myself forgiven? Anyway, this has been a long intro (as the rest of my blog intros lol,) so here it goes!

Track #1: HEY ANGEL

Hey Angel was one of the highly anticipated songs as snippets of it were tweeted multiple times by Harry Styles. I was actually surprised with how the song turned out as I have imagined it to be slow and painful based on the lyrics Harry posted before. It's good song to open the album and it did remind me of Clouds when I first heard it. Though it was a favorite for most people, it's not really my cup of tea (much like Clouds wasn't but being the opening song for OTRA Manila would change your mind, haha!) It's one of those I usually skip when I have my playlist on lol sorry Harry :p It was good though, Harry's Hey Angels made me cry at the chances I get lazy and didn't press next.

Track #2: DRAG ME DOWN

The first single from the album! Not to be biased about it but I really do like it. It's the perfect carrier track that heightened my anticipation for the album. It's also my first song since joining the fandom and it offered a different sound from the singles they had before. It's a good comeback to the things they've went through, all the rumors, of Zayn leaving, paired up with a cool music video Ben Winston didn't part take in. It's a favorite and absolutely a jam!

Track #3: PERFECT

Aha! I've been passive-aggressive with this song for a really long time. Well, I like it, it's written by Harry and Louis, the music video is aesthetically pleasing and it's the second single (which was not as successful as DMD unfortunately.) I guess part of the reason why even their own fans weren't head over heels in love with the single was because it was marketed as the Taylor Swift-dissed song. With lines 'If you like cameras flashing every time we go out. And if you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about' sang by Harry himself plus the very Style-esque chorus, it was obviously made to market that way. I've never been the biggest Haylor fan, I would be honest about it lol, so yeah having this song promoted like this ruined it for me (just how I felt with Style and Out of the Woods.) Eventually though, I've been hearing this song a lot in the office and in places as well and it's One Direction so yeah, needless to say, it grew on me.

Track #4: INFINITY

I wasn't a big fan of the song but it's not like I don't like it either. I know the lyrics and sing along with it when I'm in the mood but I don't have troubles skipping it when I am not. Harry's notes are amazing and that beat drop got to me the first few times I heard the song. I once thought it's a song about Zayn, which was... well I always thought all the sad songs were about Zayn haha!

Track #5: END OF THE DAY

One of my favorites!!  It's a widely accepted idea in the fandom (Larries specifically) that it was a song about LGBTQ+ people, lesbians in particular, with lyrics like "All I know at the end of the day is you love who you love, there ain't no other way." It's a nice thought seeing it was written by Louis who I believe to be a good, beautiful person despite what his Twitter account had said in the past. The lyrics are superb as well! One of the songs with lines I've used as captions in my Instagram posts haha! That's one thing I like to note with the songs the boys took part in, the words keep getting better! I'm a sucker for beautiful words and this one's a good example. Plus all those high notes from both Harry and Louis made me cry a bit (I'm always crying when it comes to them I can't help it.)

Track #6: IF I COULD FLY

Uggghhhhh! The love songs of all love songs. I remember listening to the leaked version and sobbing along the girls crying in the background (I'm embarrassing I know.) Aside from the fact that it was a song written by Harry, it was also introduced in the pre-listening event with video clips of a young One Direction, majority of Harry and Louis and it was just really emotional for most of us. The melody perfectly captured the sincerity of the lyrics and it's just, it's perfect :( I could quote the entire song for my favorite part, it was that good! Louis' part was the most heartbreaking of it all though. I am being very biased right now but it's one of my favorites haha!

Track #7: LONG WAY DOWN

Another song from LiLo! I'm a huge fan of ballads so this is one of my early and still favorites. Another song with such beautiful words (We made a fire, we're down in the flames. We sailed an ocean, we're drowning in waves. Built a cathedral, but we never prayed. We had it all yeah, but we walked away.) Harry and Liam in the chorus were tragically beautiful. I'd like to think it's a song for Zayn (although, of course, how could I know right?) This is one of the songs I never skipped.

Track #8: NEVER ENOUGH

One of Niall's! One of the reasons I'm this in love with One Direction's songs was the fact that they wrote it, which made me more attached to it a little more than those they didn't. This is the song that have leaked before, like a part of it, way before there was an actual album. I even thought it'll be the carrier single. It was nice, not a big fan but I'm sure as hell gonna belt it loud come concert.

Track #9: OLIVIA

A play on "I love you" a.k.a. Harry Styles being cheeky and witty. It contained Harry's favorite lyrics from the album (The summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation) plus one of Louis' many high notes from this album. It's also a jam, a good song to sing while in a carpool with your friends (plus point if you don't stutter with the 'I love you I love you I love I love Olivia' on the first try.)

Track #10: WHAT A FEELING

My favorite!!! I have tons of favorites from this album hahaha! But this ones on top of the list, along with If I Could Fly, I Want to Write You A Song and maybe A.M. or Walking in the Wind. It sounds like a song from the eighties, or sixties, I'm not sure lol. I genuinely think a random listener wouldn't have guessed it's a song from today or from a pop band for that matter. One of their best songs, not just from the album but in their entire discography as well.

Track #11: LOVE YOU GOODBYE

Probably my least favorite, lol. Like Perfect, the song was heavily marketed this time as a breakup song written by Louis for Eleanor which.. ew. The start reminded me so much of One Republic's Apologize and probably the only thing that had me listening to this song was Louis' high note. Other than that, I don't really like speaking about it, I skipped it as much as possible.

Track #12: I WANT TO WRITE YOU A SONG

Beautiful BEAUTIFUL SONG! The cheesiness, the innocence, all the genuine feelings, accompanied by guitar strums, it's like watching a romantic movie about two young people falling in love in the summer. A favorite, obviously.

Track #13: HISTORY

The current single, a song for their fans :) I just can imagine singing this with thousands of other people and it made me crave for the reunion concert all the more. I'm one of those who's very skeptical if One Direction would come back or not but listening to History (and MITAM in general, even for the songs I don't like) made me wish they will, so I can sing these songs with them. The song was about the boys being a bit insecure that they'll be left behind which was, silly, lol. Their fans aren't going anywhere and I'm hoping they won't as well.

DELUXE ED: 

Track #14: TEMPORARY FIX

A dirty dirty song by Mr. Horan, haha! It's quite sinful, much sinful than No Control in my opinion with Harry's lines as the filthiest. I remember seeing in Tumblr a post that went 'Remember when Tonight let's get some was the dirtiest One Direction lyrics' well look what where we are now haha! It's a catchy song with cheeky lyrics that made you think what the ever almost scandal-free Niall Horan had been up to.

Track #15: WALKING IN THE WIND

A song about people that are no longer with us, but we'll see them eventually, when the time's right for us to meet again. It's bittersweet, heartbreaking and tragic but beautiful at the same time. It wasn't as sad as Love You Goodbye and Long Way Down as it was expressing what the other two were lacking: acceptance. It's like 'Hey, we're not with each other anymore, you left but it's good because we had good times together and I don't regret it and we'll see each other again.'

Track #16: WOLVES

Another favorite! Mostly because of the melody rather than the lyrics. I have no emotional attachment to it but it's a good song to jam in to. It's a good song to sing in the shower or in long drives.

Track #17: A.M.

Another favorite (told you I have a lot, haha!) Also the inspiration of this blog's new title (Before Daybreak.) I've been a nocturnal person because of my job and seriously, I can relate to this song in all levels. Anyway, kidding aside, this is one of my favorites not just because of the lines but I knew this song talked about the boys' friendship as well. I'd like to think it was a reminiscent of those nights in Harry's stepfather's bungalow. Back when they were just starting to know each other, back when all the fame, the platinum records, the sold out concerts, the rumors and scandals hit them in the face. It was a reminder of that night and all the nights they were just themselves, just five-now four -boys who truthfully like and love each other no matter what the media said. It's emotional in a good way and it's why it was special to me.

Special Track: HOME

Home is a bonus track from the album. It was co-written by Liam and Louis with the latter announcing it on Twitter in the middle of a fandom meltdown (I can't really recall what it was.) It was a beautiful song about missing and loving someone, of being enough for each other and finding home in the arms of one person. Louis' 'I'll make this feel like home' tugged heartstrings especially of Larry shippers like me (it's a headcanon that this song, along with If I Could Fly, was among the songs Harry and Louis have written for each other.)

RATING: ★★★★☆ (4 of 5 stars)

Not my go-to album when I want to listen to One Direction (it's always FOUR or Midnight Memories and no, it's not about Zayn haha I just like the songs in those albums better) but definitely a favorite. I have lots of favorites from this album and although there were ones that didn't stand out or exceptional for me, the ones that did compensated enough. Plus it has If I Could Fly which pretty much my favorite love song after Strong so yeah, no contest!

It was a really nice gift for their fans before their hiatus, written over a short period of time yet it's amazing how they came up with songs like these. I really wished they wouldn't breakup, that they would come back like they promised but even if they wouldn't, Made in the A.M. was beautiful and have offered the music all four of them were really proud of.

I do wish they'd still come back though, like please, I want to sing Olivia with you guys :(

I'm 25 and I have a One Direction poster on my wall fight me