BY EMMA SCHOORS
American Authors’ latest effort, Seasons, is jam packed with blurred genres, beats from a plethora of instruments, and fitting, real lyrics about life and love. Strung together by community, it makes for a great addition to the band’s quilt-like collection of albums, but stands just as strongly on its own.
The album opens with “Stay Around”, a tune about the weary times that can often lead to ended or shaky relationships. It’s backed by a hand-clap beat and fronted by lyrics that reflect the title, echoing “...lighting my fuse is so easy to do.” Then jumps forward “Say Amen”, with Billy Raffoul adding to the rustic, gospel-like groove of the track.
“Calm Me Down” is a track infused with piano and anthemic choruses to match the plea that matches the title, “I need you here to calm me down”. The album peeked its head into the public arena in late 2018 with the tracks “Deep Water” and “I Wanna Go Out”, both of which offer a complexity that satisfies the overall vibe of the effort, but doesn’t give too much of it away too soon.
One of the songs on the album that departs from the future/forward thinking lyrics is “Neighborhood”. Instead soaked in nostalgia, the lyrics paint a picture of a loved community. “Can’t Stop Me Now” is one of the many songs featured on the album fit for an arena. The lyrics apply describe the title, and almost leave a taste of the band’s earlier material. It’s once again anthemic, yet not too much so that it drowns out the message.
“Bring It On Home” is a song that reconciles with the doubts that we all face and plows right past them to deliver an optimistic forcefield of lyrics. “Before I Go” contrasts the prior track with a more raw version of events. This theme is strung throughout the whole album. The effort closes with “Real Place”, which perfectly wraps up the authenticity that the band put into the album as a whole. The band’s earlier lyrics tend to be mischievous and fun-filled, and this album lights the fire for a much more relatable listen that forces audiences to think about their own experiences in a new way.