By Ann Reed – Staff Reporter

Little Mix are bringing girl bands back with the release of their third album, “Get Weird.”

The British girl-band Little Mix got their start in 2011 when it’s four members, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson, all auditioned for “The X-Factor” as solo artists. Following their individual eliminations in the first bootcamp challenge, the judges decided to give the girls another chance by putting them together and entering them in the group category. The girls joined separate bands at first, but after those individual bands failed to make it through the judges houses, the judges formed another band now known as Little Mix. Little Mix eventually became the first band ever to win “The X-Factor,” earning them a record deal with Simon Cowell’s record label, “Syco”. After their first two albums, “DNA” and “Salute,” sold well in the U.K, they searched and eventually found their first huge U.S hit with their third album titled “Get Weird.”

With this album, Little Mix has gone for an 80’s pop vibe, pulling it off beautifully. The girls make sure that every song fits the theme by using funky beats paired with fun dance lyrics. “Get Weird” serves as a time machine back to the 80’s, bringing the reader to a more lively time. The song that coincides with the theme the most is “Weird People.” The track features a beat lead by an electric keyboard with empowering lyrics such as, “And now I step out of the crowd and I party on the other side (Oh, the other side)/And ain’t no uptight sucker gonna tell me how to live my life (I’m living my life”) and “We’re gonna get weird all night/I said now let’s get weird all night.” This song, along with the whole album, is bound to make anyone want to dance, which is essentially what the 80’s was all about.

“Get Weird” also shows a more mature side to Little Mix, which is a refreshing change from their first two albums. While “DNA” and “Salute” seem almost too catchy for them to be meaningful, “Get Weird” shows a truer side to the girls. In songs like “Secret Love Song Part 2” and “The End,” focus more on the emotion in the song opposed to the production of them. With a simple piano backing, “Secret Love Song Part 2” puts all eyes on the stellar vocals and raw emotion, with lyrics like, “Every second, every thought, I’m in so deep/But I’ll never show it on my face/But we know this, we got a love that is homeless.”

With there only being 16 songs on the deluxe album, the listener will never want it to end and will expect more. “Get Weird” is perfect for any pop lover looking for fun tracks to work out to or sad songs to mess with their emotions. Afterall, doesn’t everybody have to “Get Weird” every now and then?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars