BY JOHNNY MULLIGAN
After seeing “7 Years” rise to number two on Billboard’s Hot 100, I was curious to hear more from this unknown band and was pleasantly surprised to find songs even better than “7 Years” on their album Lukas Graham or The Blue Album.
Starting in Denmark, this band (named after their lead singer Lukas Graham Forchhammer) rose to fame after they posted videos of their garage band on YouTube. They spread through Europe and then ended up here after being co-signed by Warner Bros. Records.
Although this album was released on Jan. 28 this year, “7 Years” prominence prompted me to check out the rest of the album and I was surprised to find “7 Years” was the only popular song of the album. The band managed to combine powerful lyrics (in most cases) with both ballads and upbeat songs.
Forchhammer wrote his music usually taken from his father passing away as a kid, through “Happy Home” and “You’re Not There.” Forchhammer also writes about his friends and how he powered through his struggles.
These heavier songs are offset by more upbeat songs of the album. “Strip No More” is catchy and just funny when you listen to the words. Forchhammer felt betrayed when a stripper graduated from school without telling him because nobody else stripped quite like she did.
By far my favorite is “Funeral” which is Forchhammer telling his friends to be sad for some time when he passes but make sure they know he lived his life well and he expects his funeral to be fun because that is how he lived his life. His friends are all together and they “better be wasteeeeed” because if he was in their situation he would’ve been.
This album is great from top to bottom, Forchhammer somehow perfectly balances his heavier songs with the lighter ones and every single track has a unique sound. I was shocked none of his other songs have become popular because “7 Years” pales in comparison to many other songs of the album both in meaning and in overall quality.
For being the band’s debut album it is incredible how well we get to know Forchhammer. He explains his life in 12 songs, not an easy task to accomplish. I’ve heard rumors of another album coming in a few months and I hope they turn out to be true.
