One Direction- It’s not “goodbye”, it’s “see you later”

Yeah, that was super melodramatic, but I had to. Since we’re on the topic of hiatuses this week here on Mixtape Musings (and yes, I am back too!), it’s only fitting to discuss the recent start of the One Direction hiatus. None of you probably know this, but I used to be a HUGE One Direction fan. They were my guilty pop pleasure, and I forced them onto anyone that ended up near me and an aux cord.

I remember the beginning of my 1D love like it was yesterday. In 2011 I stumbled across a video of them singing “One Thing” acoustic, and I thought to myself “Hey, these guys are pretty good. And also, they’re super cute”. What more could 17 year old me want? Or current-day me, for that matter. After that day, I impatiently waited for their album to be released in the U.S., and then immediately bought it and wouldn’t stop listening to it. I also bought the concert DVD that went along with it, because I assumed that I would never end up seeing them live. BUT…

In 2012 I met one of my best friends and got her hooked on 1D also. I never would’ve expected that a year later we would be seeing them live, but it happened (that’s where I took the pictures in this article)! Honestly, neither of us feel like it actually happened… It was like a bizarre out-of-body experience haha. I’m pretty sure my hearing was permanently damaged from that show though. I don’t know if
any of y’all have ever stood in a room with thousands of screaming preteens, but let me tell you, it’s awful. By the time One Direction came onstage, my eardrums were already destroyed so much that they just sounded like chipmunks the entire concert (unfortunately, this isn’t an exaggeration)! But I know they sounded amazing, because I watched all the videos back again.

Since then, I will admit that I have become less aware of what is going on in the 1D world. I didn’t buy Four, and I didn’t keep up with anything to do with them for roughly a year. Even the departure of Zayn earlier this year didn’t cause me to jump back in (though it did make me happy that I saw them in their golden years). With the release of Made in the A.M., however, I’ve become sucked back into music of One Direction just in time for them to go on a break for some indeterminable amount of time! So here’s to you, One Direction. Your pop hits were great, so don’t leave us forever (and if you do, please release some solo albums. I need a Harry Styles solo album).

And, for your listening pleasure, I’ve rounded up a playlist of my favorite 1D songs, because what would a post on this blog be without a playlist or music video?

-N

Let’s Call it a Hiatus

Many of the bands that dominate the music world are bands that have come back from a hiatus. Bands that needed a break for whatever reason and then came booming back with incredible work. And like these musicians, their blogging counterparts sometimes find themselves in need of a break. I mean, I’m sure these artists don’t use their breaks for schoolwork, crying, Netflix, and the like but let’s call it a hiatus anyways.

There’s something kind of special that happens when a band gets back together. It’s as unexpected as their break up but it’s almost as if you’re finding this band for the first time. Sometimes they reemerge with a new sound, a new look, a new feeling. You get to fall in love with your favorites all over again.

So, here are a few of the bands that broke your heart when they broke up and then mended it with their reunion music.

Fall Out Boy:

At the top of the list is, obviously, Fall Out Boy. Their comeback was insane. The band announced their break in 2009 almost directly following the release of their greatest hits album Believers Never Die. The members used those few years to explore solo careers and other opportunities. In October of 2012, whisperings of new music from Fall Out Boy began and a few months later, in February of 2013, we had Save Rock and Roll and it was great. The boys also filmed videos for each of the songs on that album, creating The Young Blood Chronicles. They have since released another album, American Beauty/American Psycho, and have been the soundtrack to almost every NFL commercial currently airing.

Blink-182:

I feel like Blink has been on more breaks than I take while I’m “studying”, their main break being from 2005 until 2009. Each of the band members has taken time to do their own thing (+44, Angels and Airwaves, and even an MTV reality series) but none of those projects will ever compare to the magic they can produce together. This band is iconic, this band is important, this band is everything. Unfortunately, guitarist and vocalist, Tom DeLonge is no longer part of the trio and their most recent release was an EP called Dogs Eating Dogs in 2012. Long time members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker along with DeLonge’s replacement, Matt Skiba still have plans of creating and releasing music and though it will be different, I’m sure it will still encompass everything Blink-182 has come to mean.

Metro Station:

This break-up was a tough one for me. I actually remember texting Nicole as soon as I heard about it which is honestly kind of sad. Their debut album was released in 2007 and it rocked the worlds of scene kids everywhere. There was just something about those ten tracks that perfectly summarized those awkward, fundamental years that shaped the kids who weren’t exactly into Teardrops on My Guitar. A few years after their break, singer Mason Musso reformed the band without Trace Cyrus and released an EP called Middle of the Night and then in 2014, Cyrus returned to the band. The duo released their album Savior this year and performed their new music on the road with Warped Tour.

 

This short list fails to include some of the hugely important bands that also took breaks from their music before making a comeback; Blondie and Fleetwood Mac to name a few. This list does, however, include bands that influenced many of the people my age and I can clearly recall their reunions and how it felt to know they were making music again. And that was a really great feeling.

Let’s consider this the end of my hiatus. Stay tuned for more sporadic postings.

 

-K