By Jamil Oakford /managing editor
Little Mix takes listeners down a museum of pop through the decades while showcasing age and growth with its new album Get Weird.
Hit single “Black Magic” kick-starts the album with high energy and a sense of early ’90s pop. Following it up is the most recent single “Love Me Like You,” which sounds like something Sandy would sing in Grease when she realizes Danny is the only guy for her.
The ’80s are accounted for with “Weird People.” The track sounds like the theme song to Weird Science, but it’s definitely the dance anthem of the album right beside “Hair.”
While it seems many decades influenced the 16 songs featured on the album, one thing is immediately clear: Little Mix has grown.
The difference between its last album Salute and this current release can be felt in “Lightning.” While the previous album featured songs where the group detested the thought of being held down by a man, it seems “Lightning” strives to convey a more complex idea: the realization of being in love with someone after things ended badly. In the verses, the music is minimal, letting the vocals drive the song forward. But once the chorus ends, there’s a filthy bass drop that’s enough to rattle speakers and earphones. It’s the best part of the song, and it sums up the ferocious nature of having diametrically opposed emotions at once for one person.
The album seems split between the dance party and the reflective sides of being an adult. The transition hits right around “A.D.I.D.A.S,” a song about sex without actually referring to it. This song is somewhat uncharted territory for the group, but it’s clever and fun.
It’s hard to pick highlights for this album, but “Secret Love Song” features Jason Derulo and his lower-register vocals that are pretty impressive. “Secret Love Song, Pt. II” is a stripped version of the aforementioned, and Little Mix never lets down with piano ballads.
In “The End” and “The Beginning” the group can show out vocally.
This album will be worth every penny spent as it has a little bit of all the good things about pop music.
