Since their appearance on the X Factor UK in 2010, One Direction has become an international sensation. For the past couple of years the five boys have been working hard promoting their first album Up All Night and performing on tour.

Fans, get ready. It’s November 13, 2012 and they finally released their second album: Take Me Home. With 13 tracks and five bonus songs found only on the Target edition, this is definitely an album fans will never forget.

The first single, “Live While We’re Young” was released on Sept. 28, 2012. The song has an upbeat tune that brightens any mood. However, not every song is about partying and living in the moment. From tracks like “Little Things” to “Last First Kiss” it’s obvious that the group has no trouble putting common, teenage, lovey-dovey feelings into lyrics. The beat is catchy and not too loud, or too soft. The five really hit the nail on the head, and know exactly what girls want to hear.

“They Don’t Know About Us” sounds very similar to the songs released by bands like N’SYNC and The Backstreet Boys. The key sounds like it came straight out of a 90s pop album.

One song sticks out from all the others for many reasons. “Over Again” is probably one of- if not the most powerful song on the album. Written by Ed Sheeran, the lyrics tell the story of second chances. Even though the song has a slower melody, the band picks up the pace and sounds almost as if they are rapping. Sheeran also wrote “Moments” on the previous studio album.

It was obvious the second album was going to be special, but a lot of fans were surprised; they didn’t expect it to be this good. On the previous album, fans were complaining that members of the group like Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson didn’t have enough solos because their singing skills were doubted. Whereas, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne’s voices were being favorited. Now, the two have proved the skeptics wrong, and came back stronger than ever.

The track “Rock Me” is catchy, but it doesn’t flow with the feel of the rest of the album. While some songs are light-hearted and carefree, and others are deep and meaningful. “Rock Me” seems to be just thrown in there for the heck of it.

Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s easy to tell that a lot of thought and hard work was put into making the album and it will definitely be a huge success.
The band will be heading on the road again for another tour in 2013 and will be coming to Illinois on July 13 & 14 at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.