Indie-folk duo The Lumineers released their fifth studio album, titled “Automatic,” on February 14. The 11 track, 33-minute-long album is packed with hard-hitting lyricism that will resonate with a 2025 listener while maintaining the now-iconic — though maybe overplayed — sound that popularized the band.
I have been excitedly anticipating “Automatic” since the single “Same Old Song” preceded the album’s release on Jan. 8. The upbeat track painted an image of a lover who is making the most of the moment; however, instead of being a happy love song, it instead quickly turns into a piece about recognizing that our time in life is never guaranteed.
The repeating refrain of “Same old song / We sing the same old song / We sing the same old, same old, sad song” emphasizes the idea that the world we live in is cyclical, even if new events keep happening. In the beginning of the song, the singer references his grandmother’s death in his adolescence and later implies that it is the same kind of grief as losing his mother’s guitar after it is stolen.
“You’re All I Got” is a track about loving and needing something despite the complications it presents. This song is a top contender for my favorite on the album, primarily for the line “And I can’t give it up like Sisyphus below the rock,” which alludes to the idea that, even if a love for something will crush you, you cannot leave it alone.
“Keys on the Table” offers another perspective on the ideas in “You’re All I Got.” The song talks about desperation in a failing relationship. Similar ideas are present in prior album “III,” which discusses topics such as mental health and addiction.
While some songs seem to be about personal relationships such as “A–hole” and “You’re All I Got,” many songs on the album can only be listened to and understood in a sociopolitical context.
When I listened to “Better Day” for the first time on the way to Kroger, the only thing I really noted about it was the pretty piano in the background of the otherwise mellow song. Only when I sat down and truly listened to the song did I realize the message that The Lumineers had packed into it.
The song is “dreaming of a better day,” one in which teenagers don’t “lead the crusades” and in which blue lights do not keep “red eyes awake.” The juxtaposition of a soft melody with harsh but true lyrics almost brought me to tears and makes it my favorite off the album.
“Better Day” is then followed by the second instrumental of the album, titled “Sunflowers.” The instrumental utilizes a familiar melodic motif that can be recognized in “Patience,” the final instrumental track from their 2016 album “Cleopatra.” While some may see a purely instrumental track as a hindrance, it allows “Better Day” to breathe while also preparing for the final track, “So Long.”
Lyrically, “Automatic” is an impressive album, though the sonic masterpieces that we have grown to expect from The Lumineers are missing in this project.
