“Heaven help a fool who falls in love” The Lumineers lead singer and songwriter, Wesley Schultz, wrote this lyric for one of their new singles, “Ophelia”. But before “Ophelia” was constantly playing on the radio, The Lumineers came out with their self-titled debut album. This band took the country and world by storm with their first single, “Ho Hey”. They are an old fashion band with a modern twist. Immediately after listening to their first album I figured out that they have a calming alternative style that I could listen to on repeat.

Out of the two albums that The Lumineers have released this one is definitely my favorite. People just don’t find this kind of music anywhere; it is an album that someone can love every song and never get enough of it. Although this album came out in 2012, that doesn’t stop me from jamming out to the songs in the car. Some of those songs would include: “Ho Hey”, “Slow it down”, and “Charlie Boy”.

“Ho Hey” is their first single and mainly the reason they became so famous. If it weren’t for this popular song, who knows if they would have nearly as many fans as they have today. This song is how I got introduced to the group and I was immediately hooked not only to the song but to the band as well. It is about a love that this man never had. He liked a woman but she didn’t reciprocate the feelings; leaving him heartbroken.“ I don’t think you’re right for him”, the artist sadly sings as he tells the story of him not being chosen. They repeat “ho” and “hey” in between lyrics and it makes this song stand out from the others.

“Slow it Down” is another great song on this album. By the title, people might think that it is the slowest song out of all the tracks; to me it is also the most melancholy. The lyrics and rythm make me want to cry everytime I hear them. I can clearly tell the author is in pain, he lost the girl of his dreams and is having a tough time letting her go. Confused about why she left him, he starts to become depressed. When the singer reaches the end of the song, he praises the girl and says, “We never looked back. That wasn’t what we were good at”. I have never been in love, therefore I wouldn’t know what it is like to lose that person. But this song gives me a small taste of heartbreak and I hope to never go through it.

The last song that I will be talking about is “Charlie Boy”. My point of view completely changed on this song when I saw the band live in concert. At first I thought it was just one of their more upbeat songs about a guy who went into the war. After really listening to it in concert, it turns out that the song is about his eldest uncle who volunteered for the Vietnam War. The lead singer sings, “ Kennedy made him believe. We could do much more”. Sadly, he was killed in combat and the people back home were heartbroken. Wesley Schultz wrote this song as a beautiful tribute to the people who died in any war by showing empathy, wisdom, and humanity.

Overall, I would buy this album even if the only songs were “Ho Hey”, “Slow it Down”, and “Charlie Boy” but every other song also has meaningful, amazing lyrics. I would also suggest to buy their newer album, “Cleopatra”. It is just as chilling and contains a ton of personal stories. The Lumineers put a twist on modern alternative music, they are like nothing else out there.