A cappella group Pentatonix released their highly anticipated album full of original songs hoping to satisfying both their fans and a cappellists alike. Although Pentatonix is highly recognized for their covers of hit songs, the group takes their image a step further by dedicating their pop-capella sound to an album which truly showcases their talents.

The band is made up of five members and the only instruments they use are their voices. First, you have singer and songwriter Scott Hoying who is one of the lead male vocalists along with his partner-in-crime and star tenor, Mitch Grassi, who can hit unbelievable high notes. Then there’s Kirstie Maldonado, who represents the only woman’s vocals in the group, and has mastered the mezzo-soprano range. However, this a cappella group wouldn’t be complete without beatboxer Kevin “K.O.” Olusola and Avi Kaplan, who is all about that bass. Each member in Pentatonix reaches all the right notes and if just one person were missing, the band would fall flat.

The members of Pentatonix grew up together, but the group was officially formed back in 2011 in their hometown of Arlington, Texas. There, the group began to cover hit songs in ways that caught people’s attention because a cappella wasn’t mainstream yet. Due to their complete originality, they began to hit millions of views on each video they would upload on YouTube. Not only was the band gaining fans from their videos, but they also came in 1st place on NBC’s third season of The Sing Off, which won much deserved attention from the media.

Because the band was formed before the hype of Pitch Perfect, a movie highlighting the subculture of collegiate a cappella groups, many people from all over the world tuned in to take notice of the band’s limitless talent. Pentatonix doesn’t only cover hit tunes, but they are also well-known for their medleys and mash-ups. With videos that embrace each member’s talents such as “Evolution of Music” and their mashup of “Daft Punk,” it’s hard not to love what they do.

Leading up to the latest album release, the band revealed a music video to their new and highly praised single: “Can’t Sleep Love.” The single captures a soothing R&B melody that the fans can’t get enough of. Each song on their album is truly original and each stand out in their own way.

“One of my favorite songs from the album is ‘Light In The Hallway’ because it has a peaceful and calm tune I can just chill out to. I also love their song ‘Sing,’ it just has a feel-good vibe and is very upbeat. Their album is very well executed in the variety of songs they included and their covers are also well done,” said junior Macy Rooney.

There is a song for each emotion on this new album. You have your catchy, upbeat pop songs such as “Misbehavin’” and “Na Na Na” that are hard not to sing along to. On the other hand, Pentatonix also conducted true masterpieces such as the highly-admired songs “Rose Gold” and the single “If I Ever Fall In Love” that showcases the talents of not only the members of Pentatonix, but also features an appearance by Jason Derulo. With this new album, Pentatonix is sure to keep their fan-base satisfied with covers of hit songs including: “Where are Ü Now” and “Lean On.”

It’s undeniable that Pentatonix deserves praise and recognition for what they have brought to the music world. This original album is paving the way for fellow a capella groups by proving to the media that a cappella groups aren’t a bunch of choir nerds singing hit songs, but rather they are true artists and musicians that are here to make their mark in the music industry.