Almost Madly in Love with Mad Love

It was love at first listen when I heard Infinity Song covering “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, and I was thrilled to find out that the band has released music of their own. However, after listening to their debut album Mad Love, I am left feeling a bit underwhelmed and wishing for some more utilization of this band’s talent and potential. 

 

Infinity Song is an up-and-coming band comprised of siblings Abraham, Victory, Angel, Israel, and Thalia “MoMo” Boyd. The band has a predominantly R&B sound with hints of soul, jazz, and pop blended throughout their songs. Mad Love is their first album featuring all five siblings (Infinity Song’s very first album only included three of the Boyd siblings, titled Infinity’s Song). Mad Love was released in October 2020 by Roc Nation Records.  

 

Immediately, the first track of the album, “Far Away,” gives off a very rhythmic and peppy groove (reminiscent of a lo-fi hip hop study beat). This song is just the first of the songs on the album that features some amazing harmonies, showcased early in the track during the main chorus.  

 

“Far Away” has some of my favorite lyrics of the entire album, such as the lyric “One day when I am who I’m supposed to be; I’ll look back and hope that they are free.” Though the lyrics are fairly simple, the uplifting message of having hope for achieving your dreams and leaving behind people who doubt you is one of my favorite deeper meanings portrayed in Mad Love 

 

The next two songs in the album, “Mad Love” and “Just Loving Me” are easily the two best songs of the album, making it almost impossible to choose a definite favorite between the two. “Mad Love” includes some jazzy and next to hypnotic lead vocals from Israel, MoMo, and Victory, while “Just Loving Me” includes some amazing vintage guitar and genuine, soft vocals from everyone in the band. The raw talent that Infinity Song pours into these two songs is clear and is absolutely incredible to listen to. 

 

However, it is not just the lead vocals and harmonies that make the first few songs of Mad Love great. The backing instrumentals behind each and every song on the album are completely unique and are a pleasant shift away from the synthetic instrumentals often heard in most of today’s modern pop and rap music. The instrumentals almost tell a story of their own. For example, in “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright,” the opening instrumentals tell the story of a heartbroken man walking away from his true love in the pouring rain while the glow of a streetlight dramatically shadows his face (buthat’s just the story I hear). It is a rare treat to hear such complex and thoughtful composition in only the intro of a song and makes the album much more enjoyable to listen to.  

 

Unfortunately, the positive momentum in the first few tracks did not carry all the way to the end of the album. Especially during the last two songs, sudden bursts of obvious autotune and half-singing, half-speaking verses snap listeners out of the album’s mellow feel. In fact, the second to last song of the album, “Family,” is a full-blown rap song, and does not fit in with the rest of the album. Some of the songs also began to feel quite redundant, almost like they are the same melodies or lyrics that have been slightly altered into a new song.  

 

Overall, I think that Mad Love is a great first album for Infinity Song, however, it could use some more tweaking. After binge listening to some of the classic songs they covered, I was definitely expecting a much more clean and vintage sound, and this album does not quite fit under that expectation. I think as the band matures and finds their sound, they will improve. But for now, I am giving Mad Love a 3/5, and hoping that Infinity Song will get me to fall madly in love with their next album.