If you somehow haven’t heard The Chainsmokers’ massive smash hit, “Closer”, by now then you’ve either been dead, in a coma, or are a resident of North Korea and wouldn’t be reading this anyways. There’s literally no other explanation for not knowing the undoubted biggest hit of 2016 by now. Personally, it wasn’t really my cup of tea but I heard it so many times that it actually started to grow on me, at least in a sarcastic but serious way. I had to see if they were more than just a one hit wonder.
Sonically, Memories…Do Not Open is crisp, it’s clean, and it feels like it was made by well seasoned professionals. It’s a well engineered project that checks all the right boxes, but that’s it’s biggest problem, it feels engineered. It all feels like the result of industry manufacturing rather than a genuinely heartfelt production. That’s not to say that it’s all bad, there are some good songs on here like “Something Just Like This”, “The One”, and “Bloodstream”, and the way they mesh elements of pop and EDM together is admirable. There’s just nothing that stuck with me long after and nothing that had me feeling like I hadn’t already heard this before.
“Down and down we go
We’ll torch this place we know
Before one of us takes a chance
And breaks this, I won’t be the one
No, I won’t be the one”
Lyrically speaking there’s not a whole lot to grab onto either, it’s all pretty basic songwriting that feels like it could’ve been written in 20 minutes. It makes for easy listening, but doesn’t hit deeper than skin level. I don’t really know what I expected from The Chainsmokers but for a group with a hit as big as “Closer”, their debut album felt oddly muted and underwhelming.
Have you heard Memories…Do Not Open? What’d you think about it? Was this what you expected from The Chainsmokers? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your own reaction and rating for the album.
