‘Malibu Nights’ Review: A Heartbreaking Masterpiece

Malibu+Nights+Review%3A+A+Heartbreaking+Masterpiece

LANY’s second album, “Malibu Nights,” came with a surprising new sound. Their first album pays tribute to a dreamy high school and summer experience, while this one is more grown-up and personal to the band’s frontman, Paul Jason Klein. Their alternative presence sets this album apart from their previous work, “LANY,” introducing a side that their fans have yet to see and creating a notable record.

 

Written following a heart-shattering breakup, Klein places the songs in what seems like chronological order, starting from when he began his grieving over the relationship. The first track “Thick and Thin” starts off his single getting over the girl he loved by expressing his thoughts on how the breakup was initiated and the confusion this leads to. Throughout the album, Klein doesn’t make much emotional progress. By the last track, “Malibu Nights,” he is still in a heartbroken state, as he is not over her and isn’t sure he ever will be.  The pain he is feeling is clearly shown in the lyrics, such as when he croons, “I don’t wanna love you anymore.” The band never fails to fully express their emotions, allowing the audience feel what they feel.

 

However, this record is all based on one specific topic, heartbreak, which some might find dull. Along with not being able to connect with the tracks because they’re all about heartbreak, it upset me that they don’t give much to look forward to. By making all the songs flow together a little too well, LANY could have deterred me from enjoying this album, but I still enjoyed every single track.

Despite the low variety of topics in the songs, “Malibu Nights” is a highly emotional and well-written album, deserving way more recognition than what LANY has gotten for it.This record, along with their previous records, brings a very typical — yet not so typical — LA-style ambience to the alternative genre. This album deserves an A for successfully making a great record that many, including myself, can relate to and proving LANY is worthy of more listeners.