The Lumineers, a collaboration between Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, gave the world a valentine by releasing their new album, “Automatic,” on Feb. 13. The 11-track hazy exploration of modern reality marks the duo’s 20th anniversary of songwriting.
Schultz announced the album’s release on the band’s Instagram account earlier this month.
Mixed Emotions
The album’s opening track was also its first pre-released single. “Same Old Song” was released on Jan. 7 as a precursor to the ten others that would follow. The music video, which features the band performing in front of a series of special effect screens, was released on the same day.
“The coolest thing about the music video was that it was shot in one take,” Fraites said on Instagram.
The song provides an interesting juxtaposition between its upbeat melody and the lyrics that live within it. “’Cause any one of us could make it big or could end up dead on the pavement,” is a curiously dark lyrical choice that is mirrored throughout other songs on the album, most notably “Keys on the Table” and “So Long.”
“You’re All I Got” and “So Long” were two other teaser tracks put out before the album’s Feb. 13 release. The latter title is arguably one of the most vulnerable on the album and is claimed by the band as their favorite song to record on the album.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had recording a song in the studio,” Fraites said on Instagram.
The song was only recorded twice and the second take was the one that made it onto the album.
On Instagram, Schultz said, “We truly did that song live, in the moment, and I think there is a magic in there.”
Absolutely Absurd
“Ativan,” a song dedicated to the loving embrace of an anti-anxiety drug, is one of the tracks on the album dedicated to numbing mechanisms.
The chorus’ lyrics, “If I can’t make you happy, then nobody can, then nobody can, your sweet Ativan,” are depictive of the effect.
“Asshole,” a humorously vacuous title for the album’s second track, explores the realities of the new world “fling.” The lyrics, sung in first person point of view, represent a level of self awareness present in one-sided temporary relationships in an almost comical manner.
Similarly, “Plasticine” continues the humor of the album by staying on the lighter side lyrically while still poetically navigating the complexities of the world.
“Better Day” departs slightly from the instrumentals, focusing on clear vocals. It plays like a post-apocalyptic hymn, and Schultz told The Sun that it is “very much a dark lullaby.”
With only 11 songs in its runtime, it was a brave choice to include not one but two tracks solely reliant on instrumentals. “Strings” is essentially a 30-second intermission on the album, as its sound is more akin to ambient noise and feels unnecessary.
However, the emotionality behind the track “Sunflowers” serves a much greater purpose. As the penultimate track on the album, it is a viscerally joyful build-up to the conclusion hymn.
