Albums: OneRepublic - Artificial Paradise

OneRepublic - Artificial Paradise

Artificial Paradise; Hurt; Sink or Swim; Last Holiday; I Ain’t Worried; Red Light Green Light; Serotonin; Singapore; Room For You; Stargazing; Entr’acte; West Coast; Runaway; Sunshine; Miracle; Nobody; I Don’t Wanna Wait; Fire

Interscope: 1000156050

The last decade's most consistent hitmaker has been OneRepublic. The new album, led by Ryan Tedder, who composes the majority of their songs, showcases his knack for writing memorable pop songs that are comforting and, in some ways, reflective.

The first half of the album is often moody, with Tedder adding a hint of sadness, especially on Sink, Swim, and Hurt. On their big hit back in the day on Counting Stars, he was in an upbeat state of mind. Now on Last Holiday, he sings, “I don’t believe in stars anymore; they never gave me what I wished for.”.

Things change for the better on I Ain't Worried; the track has already been a big hit. The band exudes optimism and joy on this uplifting track, which, like the rest of the album.

The other half of the album gives all the reasons why the band remains successful, with a batch of songs that even the milkman could whistle along to.

Tedder knows that every good pop song deserves a hook to pull you in, as witnessed here on Runaway and Fire, the latter being the official song of the recent UEFA Euro 2024 competition. On Artificial Paradise, OneRepublic remains the winner all the way through.