Released on November 17 last fall, “Waking Up” is rock band OneRepublic’s sophomore album. Featuring 11 tracks with a total playtime of around 50 minutes, the album features less tracks than the average studio album. These 11 tracks begin to sound like the same song being played on repeat after about the fourth track, “Everybody Loves Me.” With nearly every song sounding similar, it is very hard for a listener to get interested in the album or what the lyrics are trying to say.

On top of that, the lyrics throughout the album are inconsistent and the vocals are marred by lack of emotion and obvious aide by an auto-tuner. The third track, “Secrets,” is the lone song on the album that lead vocalist Ryan Tedder shows emotion in. This song breaks through the repetitiveness of the entire album to shine, thanks to good vocals and meaningful lyrics.

Overall, “Waking Up” is a disappointment to someone who was a fan of some of the band’s earlier songs. Every song except “Secrets” is an absolute bore to me – with the repetitive beat, cliche lyrics, an inconsistent style and an overall lack of creativity.