Ten long years have passed since the Jonas Brothers’ last full-length album, but the three siblings have made a comeback with their fifth studio album, “Happiness Begins.” After spending a few years exploring their own individual paths, the band has assembled once again with big plans on the horizon for a worldwide tour. Its new album is 14 tracks long, displaying each of the brothers’ own musical identities to create a collaborative and cohesive 43 minute-long album.
The three brothers, Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas, spent their band’s hiatus exploring multiple different endeavors. Joe went off to create a solo album and later join the band DNCE that went quadruple platinum with its first single. Nick formed his own group, Nick Jonas & The Administration, which never quite made it big. Though his career as a solo artist brought the single “Jealous,” which spent 32 weeks on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. Kevin decided to branch away from music and found success as a reality TV star on his own show, “Married to Jonas.” He also became a well-known entrepreneur and investor as the Co-CEO of The Blu Market, an influencer marketing company.
The Jonas Brothers quickly became one of the biggest boy-bands of the early 2000s with its merchandise making its way to department store shelves and its first ever single spent a few weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Its music landed the boys spots on TV with contracts to Disney that would later lead to two different shows about the band and a two-movie series called Camp Rock that featured the brothers as the main characters. Their journey as a band now continues with the release of this new album.
The band’s previous albums followed a typical boy-band sound with optimistic tracks about growing up, sad ballads about dating and rock-heavy tracks about fun teenage escapades. “Happiness Begins” is an honest take on adulthood, showing both the trials and triumphs with upbeat smooth rock tracks and solemn acapella-esque ballads. While its older albums followed a specific and similar sound across every track, this album is radically different, exploring blues, reggae, dance-pop, R&B and rock.
The album’s first single, “Sucker,” is a high-tempo mix between rock and pop. The single has spent the last 13 weeks on Billboard’s top 100 chart scoring spots on nearly every radio station. Reminiscent of the Jonas Brothers’ older tunes, the song is all about love and infatuation — but with a hint of a more grown-up feel. “We go together/ Better than birds of a feather, you and me/ We change the weather, yeah/ I’m feelin’ heat in December when you’re ‘round me,” Nick sings.
The album’s second single, “Cool,” is a pop anthem with catchy lyrics and a smooth beat meant to dance to. The track is one of the shortest on the album — and one of the happiest. It takes a casual and chill vibe with guitar and drums setting the background of the song. “Woke up feelin’ like a new James Dean/ I comb my hair like an old school scene/ When I grow up, I wanna be just like me,” sings Nick. It is reminiscent of the past with its mentions of old stars like James Dean and Jane Fonda.
“Only Human,” is a fusion of rock and reggae creating a fast and ecstatic beat that still has an authentic relaxed vibe. The song truly represents just how mixed the album is with each individual band member’s creative side coming together to create a diverse album. This song was written by all three of the brothers, each of them giving their own input. “We gon’ dance in my living room/ Slave to the way you move/ Hurts when I’m leaving you/ Just dance in the living room/ love with an attitude,” Joe sings.
“Rollercoaster,” is a blend of a positive and fast-paced musicality with somber lyrics. The song is a tribute to everything the three brothers have been through together on their bumpy journey to stardom. “It was fun when we were young and now we’re older/ Those days when we were broke in California/ We were up-and-down and barely made it over/ But I’d go back and ride that roller coaster,” all three brothers sing. The song even mentions the album title throughout the lyrics as a gesture to the meaning behind the album — the rebirth of the Jonas Brothers.
The “Happiness Begins” tour is making a stop at the Moda Center in Portland on October 13. The tickets went on sale on May 8, though there are still seats available on Ticketmaster. The “Happiness Begins” documentary covering the Jonas Brothers’ past rise to fame and their journey of coming together as a band once again is out on Amazon Prime now.
