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“Walking in the Wind,” from the album’s deluxe edition, is Paul Simon‘s Graceland for beginners. Here, when the boys once again go trawling the ’80s for inspiration, they swap Journey-style power-schlock for songs like “What a Feeling,” a soulful soft-rocker strong enough to be someone’s third-favorite Hall & Oates jam. With these 13 tracks - nine of which the band had a hand in writing - One Direction does maturity much better than on its last album, 2014’s ballad-heavy Four. It does, however, highlight 1D’s many charms - tight harmonies, Ginsu-sharp hooks, a mix of boyish playfulness and melodramatic lover-man anguish - and points a way forward for four talented guys looking to transcend pop-rock frivolities like 2011’s “What Makes You Beautiful” and 2013’s “Best Song Ever.” It’s not even the type of top 40 album that poptimist tastemakers will deem secretly cool and dare indie kids to like. To be clear, Made in the A.M. is not a world-changing record, and 50 years from now, people won’t study the cover photo to see whether Harry Styles - arguably 1D’s dreamiest dreamboat - is sending some secret message with the way he’s sitting. And believe it or not, the set has some blatantly Beatles-esque moments.Īll One Direction Singles, Ranked Worst to Best But if break actually means breakup, as some have speculated, this new record could be the band’s Abbey Road - the final word from John, Paul, George and Ringo. Made in the A.M. arrives amid rumors that 1D will take an extended break in 2016 to focus on solo pursuits.