The Lumineers third album ‘III,’ immediately felt familiar. From the first chord in ‘It Wasn’t Easy To Be Happy For You,’ I knew this new album was going to be breathtaking (spoiler alert: it was). At last, The Lumineers have come home to their classic and genuine ways with raw acoustic pieces like ‘My Cell’ and ‘Left For Denver.’ III is the perfect, unintentional final installment in a trilogy of infatuation, love, and now-- heartbreak.
Heart-wrenching songs cover this album, layering pain and healing in a way that connects its listeners with relative, recognizable heartbreak.
If you’ve had an unhealthy relationship at some point in your life, ‘It Wasn’t Easy To Be Happy For You,’ is for you. The lyrics tell a story of the blurriness of forgiveness and the familiar story of punishing yourself in hopes of hurting the person that has hurt you. A steep slope with no destination.
If you are anything like me, music shaped your teenhood. As a fourteen-year-old, awkward and freckled-faced, sometimes music was the only way I experienced the world. How to navigate anger, mushy feelings, and for me, depression. The first time I heard The Lumineers, I was watching music videos on TV, the usual way I spent time after school, and there was their video for ‘Hey Ho,’ which still remains their most famous song to date. It was instantly catchy and led me to listen to the rest of their first album. I. Was. Hooked. ‘Flowers in Your Hair’ and ‘Dead Sea,’ are still on my list for the most romantic songs ever written. The acoustic energy, the way their music was almost hollow, echoed in a way that I had been craving for a long time.
Each time an artist I adore releases a new album, I worry that it will not live up to their previous records, or that they will have changed their music into something unrecognizable. I am happy to report that The Lumineers have grown in a way that feels honest and unique, which can be rare in a world obsessed with trends.
The Lumineers, while they may have lost a member and each changed with the tribulations of life, have always stayed authentic to themselves and their sound. They continue to make music that makes you want to slow dance in your kitchen or decorate a Christmas tree with your significant other-- a romantic, mundane coziness. So go play III, and take a long drive up the coast or maybe call someone you haven’t seen in a while. This album wants you to be happy.
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