One Direction

Up All Night

Columbia

The breed known as the boy band died in the US sometime in the early 2000s.The Backstreet Boys were no longer larger than life, N’Sync lost Justin Timberlake to solo superstardom, and everyone else was sucked into the void of irrelevancy.

Somehow, The UK has somehow kept the boy band trend around and kept it going strong. Now it seems to be making its way back across the pond.

The Wanted has already racked up a top five hit with their Ibiza-tinged single, “Glad You Came” and now One Direction is looking to capitalize on this newly-revived interest.

“Up All Night” has already taken their native UK by storm, but does it satisfy the current market’s musical appetite?

The album’s opening track and current hit single, “What Makes You Beautiful” should remind listeners of Hanson’s “MMMBop” complete with an annoying “Na-Na-Na” in place of a proper third verse.

A couple of the tunes like the aforementioned track and “One Thing” are identical twins, just with a change of lyrics. “Gotta Be You” has the potential the next big British ballad to hit the US after Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

The title track is an unnecessary addition to the set, even if they shamelessly name-check Katy Perry.

The Kelly Clarkson-penned “Tell Me a Lie” is the most single worthy after the first three tracks (which double as the first three singles).

To sum it up, the album is clean and almost virginal, minus a reference to kissing here and there.

Even if you wanted to, “Up All Night” makes it hard to just write the UK X-Factor alums off as just another group of teenage boys looking to leech off the tween demographic.

Fun and enjoyable at its best, One Direction will definitely be a big contributor to the boy band resurrection.