Last night, FUN. played their popular single, “We Are Young,” on Conan. Footage from the performance can be found below. Fun.’s new album, Some Nights, is available now.

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I’ve been following Nate Ruess’ career since THE FORMAT blew me away with Interventions and Lullabies in 2003. From one project to the next fans have experienced changes in sound and band members, and in a way, grew up alongside him. Any real consistency came from the witty, honest, sometimes brash lyrical style. This time around Ruess pushed his voice to points of urgency I’ve certainly never heard before, at least not on this scale (though “Be Calm” may be close). Some Nights is much more electronic and sonically diverse than Aim and Ignite was so it may take a minute for some to digest, but stick with it. One listen is all it takes.

The theatrical “Some Nights Intro” is something very few bands could successfully orchestrate. It leads nicely into “Some Nights”, which just about everyone should be able to relate to on some level. Its theme is universal without falling into cliche territory. New found hip hop influences surface throughout the album, but can be heard most readily in tracks such as “All Alone” and “Carry On”.

“It Gets Better” is what my father would call the “red headed step child” of the album. It’s the most electronic song of their entire catalogue, and on its own would feel out of place. While the chorus can get repetitive, it’s also interesting enough to keep you from hitting the skip button. It will never be a single, but its place in the track list keeps the album fresh and diverse. “One Foot” is a near perfect song. It’s the type you’ll need to listen to for yourself to truly understand, but the call and response style moments are worth mentioning. It shows that, despite the catchiness and snappy lyrics, this album is an intimate look into Ruess’ life.

If you weren’t convinced yet that Ruess and multi-instrumentalists Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost were artists, then “Stars” is all you’ll need to hear. It’s almost seven minutes of colorful moments (sometimes bordering on lush) that make you pause and ask, “did they really just make that work?” The “bar lights and pretty girls” reference will bring a smile to those listening carefully.

As a whole, Some Nights is one of the most detail oriented albums I’ve heard. The production is fantastic. The use of vocoder is used effectively as an effect, not a crutch. I can’t say there’s many other bands who could pull off a project quite like this. These guys deserve all of the success this benchmark album will hopefully grant them. Stream it here: http://www.ournameisfun.com/

RIYL: An RIYL is unnecessary for this album. If you claim to like music, you should listen to this album.

Written by: Alisha Kirby

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FUN. will be releasing their new album, Some Nights, on February 21. If you’re feeling impatient though, the entire record is streaming online now. Listen to it below.

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Fun. - Some Nights by Fueled By Ramen