‘Not just a bad song, but a bad album’
When you consider that the best songs are made by artists who are also the most important artists on the planet, it’s easy to understand why The Black Eyed Peas’ third album, In A World And A Time, feels like such a critical statement.
But for some of its fans, it feels like a bad, bad album.
Listeners who’ve only been introduced to the band through the lyrics of their own favourite song have been left wanting more, and the band are struggling to make an album that feels as vital as it does vital.
“If I did get a message from my dad, he’d be like ‘I love your music, but I want to be honest, I think it’s a really good album, but it feels too short.’ “
“It’s hard to make the most of this band if you don’t give them that support. “
And I’ve been trying for the last five years to do that.” “
It’s hard to make the most of this band if you don’t give them that support.
And I’ve been trying for the last five years to do that.”
In a World And a Time is a story about how the world has changed, but also about the power of music.
It’s a story that was written by a teenager, one of its lyrics being inspired by a friend of his, a musician who died suddenly of cancer at the age of 16.
As the album’s songs are more complex and reflective than the band ever has been, their lyrics can be even more powerful.
In the same way that the album is a reflection of what it means to be human, it also reflects what it is to be in a band.
It is a collection of songs that are so personal and meaningful, they’ve become part of the world.
And because they are so emotional and intimate, the songs can be so powerful.
“The best thing about the songs is the way they are written and the way we feel about them,” says the group’s singer and songwriter, Matt Smith.
“There’s a sense of being really connected to these songs, being inspired to be able to write about them, and there’s a lot of joy in them.”
In the words of the song’s narrator, “I feel like I’ve lived my life in a movie”.
The BlackEyed Peases’ third LP, In a Time, is out on 20 October.
Watch our feature on how the Black Eyeds came together.