Songwriter Adam Young’s band, Owl City, released Midsummer Station in August. Young is a singer/song writer who is more of a song writer than a singer.   

“I cannot stop writing/recording. I suppose that makes me a ‘voracious inventor’ or something like that. I find the creative process is unbelievably inspiring in and of itself,” Young said to American Songwriter.

In Midsummer Station, Young writes pop songs aimed at teenagers about hanging out and having fun. The best example of this is “Good Time” featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. The song has a relaxing summer feel and puts the listener in a summer state of mind. It has been extremely popular with over 41 million views on YouTube.  The song is currently #11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 peaking at #8 (# 4 on Billboard’s Top Pop Songs).

Although “Good Time” was extremely popular, Young has been criticized for not having any depth to his lyrics. In “Speed of Love” the word “oh” is repeated just in the chorus nine times. The exception to this on Midsummer Station is “Silhouette.” This poignant break up song is Young’s most vulnerable song on the album. With lyrics like “the more I try to move on the more I feel alone,” Young describes his pain and confusion of a broken relationship. On the other hand, the song is slightly confusing with the lyrics. Some lyrics are “I am a silhouette chasing rainbows on my own” and “so I watch the summer stars to lead me home.” This is a grown man singing about rainbows and starts. Overall, even though this song shows Young’s sensitive side, he should have stuck with realistic ways to describe his pain.

Overall, the album is a collection of fun summer songs geared to entertain but not to stimulate the brain.