Coming from a synth-pop style used in their first two albums, LANY takes on a new sound for their most recent release, mama’s boy. This new style was surprising for some listeners who are used to their “west coast boy band” type of music. Instead, mama’s boy takes on the theme of being a “southern gentleman” on the west coast and has a contemporary-Christian feel to many of the songs, most notably their opening track, “you!” 

The songs “anything 4 u” and “sharing you,” my two personal favorites, had a very classical-LANY feel. The sweet lyrics and creative synth-beat were what truly roped me into those songs. These two songs not only had the best lyrics but they also had the most enticing beat. Unlike some of the other songs off the album, these songs had a unique sound and a beat change at the bridge. 

While the songs on the album are not bad, they are sadly not memorable. The main problem I ran into was the repetitive nature of the album. When listening to each individual song, they were enjoyable, but the album sounded like one continuous beat. As LANY’s third album, hopes were high that they would break some rules and try things completely different, but even with the change of tone from west coast to country boy, the album lacked creativity. 

While the songs were still interesting, there was not much to dissect while listening to these songs, or frankly, the album in general. The lyrics have minimal depth to them, which is one another major pitfall of this album. This album poses as great easy listening, and I would not be opposed to turning this on for a car ride or as homework music, but I was disappointed in its lack of variety.  

For anyone hoping to give LANY a try, I highly recommend starting off with their freshman or sophomore album to get a full sense of their creativity and unique sound.