If you’ve listened to the radio recently, you’ve probably heard Fun.’s “We Are Young.” Lead singer Nate Ruess’ smooth voice tells you about his friends “getting higher than the Empire State” and how “we can burn brighter than the sun.”
Well, just as I suspected, the clever lyrics and refreshing sound on the band’s single extends into “Some Nights,” Fun.’s second album. The transitions between the tracks are powerful yet effortless, making the record seem like a 45-minute symphony that you don’t want to pause.
The first song, “Some Nights Intro,” starts off with applause and Ruess singing along to a catchy piano melody. Then the orchestra and the harmonies kick in, and you suddenly second-guess which band is playing through your speakers. Is this Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody?” Nope, it’s just Fun. at its best.
It’s hard to explain what about the band’s sound is so captivating; it seems familiar yet it’s so original. Some tracks, like “Carry On,” will remind you of Mumford & Sons. Yet others, such as “All Alone,” seem like the ideal amalgamation of the band’s sound with Maroon 5’s and Sugar Ray’s. Then there’s the electropop that sneaks into some of the songs, like “It Gets Better.”
Although every song is equally as fantastic (for lack of a better word), some are more equal than others: “One Foot” is the peak of the album. With its uplifting sound and lyrics like “I don’t need a new love, or a new life/Just a better place to die,” the song is lively and exhilarating yet it touches on issues in today’s society, such as LGBT rights.
Some people may say Fun. is just another pop band. But members Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff successfully pulled together the best of every genre and combined that sound with brilliant lyrics, producing an album that will change the band’s career in a good way.