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Bison Beat Online

The Student News Site of Buffalo High School

Bison Beat Online

The Student News Site of Buffalo High School

Bison Beat Online

Chainsmokers hits a home run

Chainsmokers hits a home run

The Chainsmokers is an EDM/pop duo from New York City. Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart started working together in 2012 and became a household name in 2014 when they released their first single “#Selfie.” Since then the pair has won around 20 awards, including a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for their hit “Don’t Let me Down.”

The Chainsmokers are good. Better than good. The first time I listened to them was in 2014 when they released their first hit, which didn’t impress me at all. I just couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about. However, they have improved a lot over the last few years, and that shows in a few of their songs such as “Closer,” “Something Just Like This,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” and “This Feeling.” 

“They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest, they got their hands at my neck this time. But you’re the one that I want if that’s really so wrong then they don’t know what this feeling is like.” ~This Feeling

The Chainsmokers released their first EP, Bouquet, in 2015. It peaked at number two on Billboard’s U.S Top Dance/Electronic Albums and at number four on Billboard’s U.S Top Heatseekers Albums. In 2016, they released their second EP, Collage. Collage includes the singles “Closer,” featuring Halsey, and “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya. In 2017, The Chainsmokers released their first studio album: Memories … Do Not Open. The album debuted at number one on five charts and peaked on 28 charts worldwide. The album also sold 221,000 total copies within its first week.

Last December, The Chainsmokers released their second studio album, Sick Boy. The album debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The album contains 10 songs, five of which are collaborations, that were released monthly, versus all at once. The theme of this album is different from their last album, in the sense that it talks about deep and gloomy topics. In a way, Sick Boy has a Twenty One Pilots-vibe to it, which is something that I really like.

Sick Boy is a good album. If I had to rate it from 1-10, I would give it an eight. Don’t get me wrong — I like the album, but not as much as I thought I would. The main thing that I don’t like is that some of the songs don’t match the theme of the album. I think if the theme of the album is supposed to be relatable/personal, then all of the songs on the album should match that. However, I did like the collaborations on this album. They flowed well and the featured artists were a good fit for the songs. Another thing I liked was that with Sick Boy, The Chainsmokers produced songs that have a deeper meaning. It made the songs easier to get into/connect with. Sick Boy is definitely an improvement from Memories  … Do Not Open, but I don’t think that it stands out much among modern pop music. Personally, I think that “Somebody” and “This Feeling” are the best songs on this album.

“In the town full of fancy cars and crowded bars and supermodels, looks exactly the way it did inside my head when I dreamed about it. All the things I could live without I need it now ‘cause they’re all around me. Only thing I can’t afford is to lose myself tryna be somebody, somebody.”~Somebody

If you are interested in purchasing The Chainsmokers’s Sick Boy album, it is available in stores, or on iTunes and Amazon. I recommend this album for people who like electro-pop music collaborations. I wasn’t a fan of this music until I listened to a song off of The Chainsmokers’s last album, Memories … Do Not Open and since then it has continued to grow on me. If you don’t listen to this album at least once, then you are missing out.

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