After spending almost an hour listening to the entirety of Maroon 5’s newest release “V”, I have come to the conclusion that while there are quite a few catchy tunes on this album, there isn’t any real substance. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just not amazing. It definitely isn’t an album I would pay full price for.

The main issue I had with this album is how insincere it sounded. The chorus in almost every song was the same boring bubblegum pop nonsense regurgitated with annoying repetition and meaningless lyrics. It felt more like Adam Levine was following a formula for his songs rather than really writing.

If it weren’t for the dull song content, I would love “V”. Adam Levine’s voice is smooth and his delivery always packs a punch. In songs like “Unkiss Me” and “Leaving California”, Levine’s range and tone shine. Their performance overall is very carefully put together in order to ensure that their songs stay in your head.

Looking past Adam Levine, Maroon 5 has five members. James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, PJ Morton, Mickey Madden, and Matt Flynn are responsible for the group’s quality sound and background vocals. The band adds a whole new dimension to the group’s sound, and I enjoyed the instrumental aspect of the album. Just in case Maroon 5’s sound alone isn’t enough to seal the deal, “V” also features new collaborations with artists such as Ryan Tedder, Sia, Gwen Stefani, and Fun.’s Nate Ruess.

Although “V” doesn’t even come close in comparison to Maroon 5’s earlier albums, I didn’t completely hate it. Even if you do hate it, the hooks are all so annoyingly catchy that you’ll still be singing along, like it or not.