Spending over fifty consecutive weeks in the top ten of Billboard charts is a career milestone that few artists have ever achieved. For the Chainsmokers, a new addition to the nation’s electronic dance music scene, this unprecedented level of success came before the release of their debut album on April 7, Memories…Do Not Open.

Prior to Memories, the Chainsmokers simply released singles instead of a large collection of songs in an album. This new style of releasing seemed a departure from the norms of the music industry—perfect for the young breakthrough artists new to the pop culture scene. But the Chainsmokers, after their initial success, have now been established as titans of industry, and have such followed the norms of releasing their music like most artists—through an album.

Unfortunately for the Chainsmokers, part of the appeal of their music was the novelty and unique qualities that each separate single brought to their entire musical repertoire. Memories, unlike most effective albums, lacks a cohesive theme and message.

This failure to establish a theme was quite frankly, expected. As young budding artists, it’s hard to limit their seemingly infectious beats and lyrics to just one theme. The old style of music release, with periodic singles released instead of large, industry-produced albums was simply more genuine.

Unlike the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele and Beyoncé, the Chainsmokers are not yet superstars with stellar reputations to maintain. They are able to take risks with great rewards, and this album was a great opportunity to take risks. Disappointingly, they did not take enough risks or establish a cohesive theme, making the album severely lackluster in comparison to many of theIr better songs of the past.

The album was unique in that it featured singing from the Chainsmokers themselves. Mostly known for their skills as sound mixers, both Chainsmokers are neophytes in the world of singing–and this clearly showed throughout the album. Some people just are not good singers—period. The Chainsmokers would do well to learn that.

Despite the lack of message and singing chops, there were a few standout songs in the album, including “Something Just Like This,” a collaboration between Coldplay and the Chainsmokers. Featuring Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, and electronic beats and sound mixing from the Chainsmokers, the infectious beat became an instant earworm, even vaulting to the top three on Billboard.

“Something Just Like This” harkened back to the days when the Chainsmokers simply collaborated with other artists and released popular, catchy singles. The rest of the album seems a step in a new, unwanted direction.

Fans should be cautious to buy this album. Although some songs stand out from the crowd, the entire production as a whole lacks unity, and disappoints. From a young duo with much potential, their first (and hopefully only) album was not a hit. The Chainsmokers would do well to remember their roots, and why they got popular in the first place. Memories…Do Not Open, despite its name, is just not an album to remember. Perhaps the “Do Not Open” part of the album title is an apt warning to fans, who are in for a disappointment.

2/5