Since The Chainsmokers just dropped a new single on Friday, July 27, 2018, entitled “Side Effects” featuring Emily Warren, it’s time to revisit an old blog post I wrote about them, which was published on my old, now deleted blog in March of 2017: 

In light of recent developments with the weather (70 degrees on the East Coast was wack for the end of February so climate change is most definitely real and Robert Frost was wrong), let’s talk about feel good music. 

You know what I’m talking about: Warm weather makes you think of the beach, which makes you think of day drinking, which makes you think of living the fucking life. Or, at least that’s the perpetual fantasy that everyone portrays, but I digress. 

The ultimate “bros,” The Chainsmokers, are just that type of feel good music. From the joke that is “Selfie” (I’m not kidding they actually made it as a parody cause all us Millennials are wack af, just kidding. Or am I?), to the lesser of a joke that is “Kanye,” The Chainsmokers, consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, have made quite the name for themselves, and they haven’t even dropped a full length album. Well, yet, seeing as how Memories…Do Not Open drops to CDs, streaming devices, and vinyl near you on April 7, 2017, along with a tour. Be there or be square. And, in honor of their debut album dropping in a month, I am naming them March’s “Artist of the Month.”

The Chainsmokers are just that type of feel good music that you might be looking for, except that they aren’t, especially once you’ve had their EPs on repeat like I’ve had for the past few weeks. “Bros” do not produce something like “Roses,” their infamous cover with Rozes, which makes you feel all the feels about loving someone. Like, you know when you’re falling for someone and you kind of just want to use them as a human blanket and keep all the bad shit out, that’s what this song feels like. From the almost religious feel of the beginning beat to the drop after the first chorus, “Roses” hooks you, keeps you, and makes you want to live in it as a song. It’s pure magic, and if you want to see the magicians reveal their secrets, then I suggest you watch this video. (Keep in mind, it’s a 46 minute video about the making of a three minute song, but it’s definitely worth it, especially if you’re an aspiring DJ.) 

And of course you all know “Closer,” unless you survived the disaster that was the end of 2016 (not because of the song, just because of other reasons) by living under a rock, and have magically escaped its dulcet tones about seeing and subsequently hooking up with an Ex. This song, which the radio practically killed but I’ll still sing to it in the shower because I have no shame, marked something different for them. It provided them not only with sick beats, but a story that made them different from other EDM DJs out there, which, while having sick beats and great lyrics, often repeat the chorus or key hooks non-stop. 

The good times of the Chainsmokers do not stop there. Their recent collaboration with Coldplay has left me shook beyond belief, simply for the fact that “Something Just Like This” is uber romantic and I’ve been a hopeless romantic since birth. It’s a great song, but, while being a step in the right direction for them, it does not have the wow factor that “Roses” did. Then there’s “Paris,” the other song that along with “Something Just Like This” will appear on their debut album. “Paris” is pretty special; it’s a lot more melodic than their other songs, and Drew is pretty much the sole vocals on it. It also does something super interesting after the first chorus. You think the lyrics are going to repeat in line with the first lyrical section, but they switch up at the last minute and continue with the narrative. Great move, bros. 

If all of that wasn’t enough to convince you that these guys are the real deal, then go listen to the two EPs they currently have out: Collage (2016) and Bouquet (2015).  It seems to be something they’re good at, but tracks like “All We Know,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” and “Until You Were Gone,” will assuredly hit you in the feels. “New York City” will make you melancholic, whereas “Good Intentions” will make you say “fuck it” and “yolo.”

The Chainsmokers have the potential to be an artist for everyone, if they keep up what they are currently doing. I guess we’ll see in a month if they can live up to the hype that they’ve established for themselves. 

In any case, if you were wondering what their goal with their current album was, well, they stated the following on their Instagram: 

“We titled the album Memories… Do Not Open, because these songs are very personal to us, collections of private memories and thoughts that we now want to share with you and in the process make ourselves pretty vulnerable but that’s song writing and musics goal, to open up and relate to one another. The box in the artwork represents that collection of items your mom would throw together once you moved out and she changed your room into a gym or office. For us this is like coming home and opening up that box with each item symbolizing a memory and feeling.”

You ready to open up some memories?