Automatic Yes: “Automatic,” by the Lumineers, is an exceptional album 

The Lumineers are so back. It’s been two years since their last full release of an original album, and their latest album, “Automatic,” was definitely worth the wait.

Released on Feb. 14, “Automatic” has 11 songs and immaculately combines The Lumineers’ classic addictive rhythms, versatility, meaningful lyrics and digestible length.

The Lumineers are known for their upbeat, folk songs that practically beg listeners to get up and dance. From classics like “Ophelia” to “Ho Hey,” the band never fails to make me want to break out my moves. Although I wouldn’t call the songs in “Automatic” scream-in-the-car-with-friends worthy, they still tempted me with the piano and guitar melodies that were simply captivating.

Take “Automatic,” the title track, for example. The song is laid back and demands a late-night, quiet drive, and it included a catchy rhythm that kept me engaged. This is the perfect kind of song for doing homework or reading. It doesn’t ask for attention or a fully present brain — you can just turn it on while solving integrals or preparing presentations.

This quality doesn’t diminish the overall caliber of the song, however. If anything, the ability to play songs from “Automatic” anywhere adds more to the album. 

Instead of only being able to listen to songs when I can devote my full attention to them, like “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, I can tune in to “Automatic” any time I want. 

And it didn’t stop there. Catchy rhythms are also included in “So Long” — my favorite track from the album. “So Long” starts off with yet another Lumineers classic: a punchy, in-your-face intro. Just five seconds into the song, I already heard the beat drop of guitars and drums, just like their other popular tracks: “Ophelia” and “Cleopatra.” 

Because “So Long” was placed as the last track, it felt like The Lumineers’ way of saying goodbye to “Automatic.” They went out with a bang, quite literally, by including a mesh of drums and guitars to form a striking beat. 

Even better than the addictive cadence in “Automatic” and “So Long” were the album’s short songs. Nothing is worse than when a singer jams together trillions of lyrics and choruses to generate a six-minute song. No one wants to listen to an artist drone on and on about the same thing for a hideous amount of time.

So, I was thrilled when I saw that the average song length in “Automatic” is two minutes — contrasting the average hit-song song length of three minutes, according to Vox. The shortest addition, “Strings,” is only 34 seconds of instrumentals. How perfect.

The short nature of “Automatic” even allowed me to fully process the deep lyrics that coupled with the songs.

Two tracks popped out to me as I listened to the album for the first time — “Plasticine” and “Ativan.” Although I didn’t know the meaning of those words at first, I absorbed the songs and wondered if the seemingly strange titles had ties to the lyrics that touched on mental health.

So, I pulled up Google and went down a rabbit hole of definitions for these song titles. I found that plasticine is “a brand name for a soft substance like clay produced in different colors,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary. Also, according to Medical News Today, Ativan is a medicine that treats anxiety in adults and children.  

When looking back at the lyrics of the respective songs “Plasticine” and “Ativan” I saw the deeper meaning behind the presumably straightforward lyrics. 

In “Plasticine,” The Lumineers sing about self-identity, including the lyric “Plasticine, I can bend me into anything you need.” In “Ativan” the lyric “If I can’t make you happy, then nobody can” points toward topics of anxiety, substance abuse and depression. 

I appreciated that The Lumineers exposed prevalent themes of mental health, a trait other folk songs can’t share, by crafting together meaningful lyrics in “Automatic.” 

“Automatic” was a flawless release for The Lumineers that left me practically counting down the days until their next album.