The album, released on Valentine’s Day, includes themes of love and relationships
After the release of the single “Same Old Song” earlier this year, the Lumineers released the rest of their new album “Automatic” on Friday, Feb. 14. This is the first new music since the release of their fourth studio album, “Brightside,” in 2022.
The Lumineers, started by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, have been releasing folk-rock music since 2005. They rose to fame in 2012, when one of their most popular songs, “Ho Hey,” was released. Ever since, they have continued to release catchy music with hard-hitting, storytelling lyrics. The album “Cleopatra” tells the life story of a taxi driver through several songs, and the album “III” explores multiple generations of one family and the effects of addiction, featuring different songs about different family members. Each album creates a cohesive plotline or theme that explores deep emotions of love, regret, life lessons and more. Their most recent album, “Automatic,” is no exception, with its reflective thoughts on relationships weaved throughout the entire album. It was love at first listen.
The Lumineers’ fifth studio album consists of 11 tracks. Released on Valentine’s Day, the album provides contemplative lyrics with themes of love that can also be applied to familial relationships and friendships. The album rings true to the Lumineers’ well-known style, with piano, Schultz’s distinct gravelly voice, folk-rock sounds and insightful lyrics. However, there is also an added touch of drama in the music and reflection in the lyrics.
In the opening track, “Same Old Song,” Schultz sings about a band’s instruments getting stolen and no one seems to care. He sings, “I’ll never see my mom’s guitar again,” implying a layer of sentimentality and love attached to his stolen instrument. This song exemplifies familial love and the meaning of passed-down objects given from the bottom of one’s heart. One interpretation of this song is that you shouldn’t take little signs of love for granted because they can so easily be lost, like his mom’s guitar.
Each song differs, though, as they dive into different pessimistic aspects of love.
The song “Asshole” explores a person’s difficulty to open up to someone else in a relationship. Schultz sings “Everytime you tried to let me in/ your nails they barely broke the skin,” implying that the couple had a hard time being honest and open with one another. This line, combined with the sad tone of the song, evokes a sense of sympathy for the person in this relationship.
Furthermore, the title track, “Automatic,” uses a melancholic tone and a strong piano melody to hint at the darker aspects of a relationship, as Schultz asks, “Is it ever gonna be enough?” While the song opens with piano, similar to prior Lumineers songs, it builds dramatically. It almost sounds like the part of a movie soundtrack that accompanies a hopeless moment for the main character.
In the song “You’re All I Got,” the band reflects on regrets in a relationship. One lyric in the song is, “Blame yourself for what you didn’t say,” which is relatable and shows that a person can question how they handled a situation. After singing about what went wrong in the relationship, Schultz sings, “Let the light come down on me / You’re all that I got.” Then, after creating the image of a crumbling relationship in which there are regrets, this line implies that when all is said and done, there is still some level of love between the two.
“Keys on the Table” explores relationships ending and the shame that can come with it. Schultz sings, “If you’ve lost your faith, boy / leave your keys out on the table.” He then sings, “I feel ashamed to breathe,” meaning that he knows he did something wrong that led to the end of the relationship and feels a sense of shame because of it. Despite this, he also repeats, “You’re all I got,” which reinstates a sentiment shared in an earlier track on the album, emphasizing a theme of love present throughout all the tracks.
Overall, “Automatic” is cohesive in emphasizing themes of vulnerability, love, heartbreak and dependence that can be found in every type of relationship. Even the release date adds a meaningful layer to the album, as it is a bit ironic to release a tracklist of gloomy songs about love on the most romantic day of the year. The poetic lyrics and the heartfelt music tie together to create a riveting album.
Edited by Ainsley Bryson and Alyssa Royston | abryson@themaneater.com and aroyston@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Emma Harper and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com