Happiness Begins

“We went into every session hoping to bottle up happiness and bring it to the world,” Joe Jonas tells Apple Music of the first album he\'s made with his brothers Nick and Kevin in a decade. “We didn\'t know that would actually become the title of the album, or that the cover would be the visual representation of how we feel, which is that with each other, we can get through anything.” The album—tremendously pure and upbeat, with co-writing from Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, and Greg Kurstin—has playful Police spinoffs, Post Malone-inspired bops, and smoldering slow-jam serenades that, honestly, might make fans faint. Here\'s a track-by-track rundown of the family reunion as told by the brothers themselves. **“Sucker”** Kevin: “We wrote this about Ricky Bobby and his journey to be the best race car driver in the world.” Nick: “If you\'re not first, you\'re last.” Joe: “But it was a slow burn. It wasn\'t immediate for all of us that we said, ‘This has to be the first single!’ We felt like it\'d be a good album song, but we didn\'t think it’d be one to introduce us back into the world.” Kevin: “And then what happened?” Joe: “And then it became the first single.” **“Cool”** Nick: “This song came towards the end of the writing process. We were trying to write a ballad, actually, but we ended up writing this instead because we all came to the studio feeling very cool that day. Feeling like a million bucks.” **“Only Human”** Joe: “This was the last song to make the album. Max Martin and Shellback \[Karl Johan Schuster\] approached us. They\'re handsome Scandinavian dudes, but they also happen to be two of the best songwriters and producers in the world. They have a lot of hits on their hands. And a little story: A lot of this song was written and recorded via FaceTime. Shellback was home in Sweden and he had to be really quiet because it was 4 a.m. his time and people were sleeping in the other room.” Nick: “Actually, it would have been a really good Apple commercial. How the world is getting smaller and more connected and hit songs are written on FaceTime.” **“I Believe”** Nick: “Early on in the process, Greg Kurstin helped us define what the album was going to sound like. He’s the best guy to do it, having worked with Adele and Beck–artists we love and respect. And this song is a love letter to my wife. I\'m so excited to play it on tour.” Joe: “We listened to it a lot on your bachelor party. It sounds even better by the beach.” Nick: “It does. So try that.” **“Used to Be”** Joe: “This, upon first listen, was not a song I connected with. And then all of a sudden I was like, ‘Oh my god, I get it. I love it.’ It just felt right.” Kevin: “I feel like this song was heavily influenced by Post Malone and stuff on the rhythmic urban side. Post had shouted us out in one of his songs, so we felt it was only appropriate to do the same.” **“Every Single Time”** Joe: “This one has a Police feel to it.” Nick: “The band Police. If you haven\'t heard of them, you should definitely go check them out. They\'re a great new band. They\'re fantastic.” Kevin: “The lead singer is this guy Stung.” Nick: “Yeah, Stung. He\'s fantastic.” **“Don’t Throw It Away”** Joe: “This song was also produced by Greg Kurstin and co-written by Mozella, who has become one of the biggest songwriters in the game and helped us unlock a lot of things early on in the creative process. This has some \'80s influences in it.” **“Love Her”** Kevin: “It\'s very important on an album for us to have some romantic songs. We\'ve had a lot of vibey, upbeat songs that you listen to and by the eighth song, at this point in the dinner, you\'re finishing that bottle of wine. You had the main course.” **“Happy When I’m Sad”** Nick: “This song is about putting on a face, a mask, a vibe of being happy when you’re sad.” Kevin: “I think a lot of people can relate to that. I visualize *Dexter*, the TV show.” Nick: “Just cutting someone in half but smiling through it.” Joe: “Interesting. That\'s pretty dark, guys. Not what I had in mind when we were writing it, but to each his own.” **“Trust”** Nick: “This song was a collaboration with Jason Evigan, who I wrote my song ‘Chains’ with. He\'s a brilliant producer and songwriter and has been a friend for many years, but to get to turn great relationships into great songs is one of the most rewarding things as a songwriter. It was a magnetic connection for all of us.” **“Strangers”** Joe: “You\'ve gotten through 10 songs and you\'re like, ‘Where the hell are the Jonas Brothers I know? This is stupid.’ Lucky for you, Number 11 is here to save the day.” **“Hesitate”** Joe: “This is an important song. I wrote it for my significant other, Sophie, and it’s one of those love letters that you write to your partner saying, ‘I\'ll be there no matter what.’” **“Rollercoaster”** Kevin: “Our documentary *Chasing Happiness* came out recently, and it was so great to be able to tell our story. We knew we needed a song to help do that. Ryan \[Tedder\] presented us with ‘Rollercoaster.’ We adjusted a little bit to make it our own, and it perfectly embodies all the themes that are relevant in the documentary: having had that fun when we were young, then choosing to do it again in a healthy way, and in the end saying, ‘I would gladly get on that rollercoaster with you again and do it all over again.’” **“Comeback”** Joe: “This is one I\'m most proud of. We use pronouns in this that veer towards relationships, but it fully represents where we were at as a band, saying: ‘Come back to me. I\'ll come back to you.’ We\'ve been through a lot in this journey, but it led us back here. This song touches on our roots growing up playing music in church, and there’s a hymn formed in the chord structure and even the melody. I\'m just really proud of this one.”

The former teen heartthrobs’ first album in almost 10 years is by no means extraordinary, but it’s a respectable showing from a group that has long deserved more respect than they got.

After time apart to assert their identities as individuals, the three brothers have returned with a slickly produced record that alternates between upbeat bangers and mellow numbers that recall Zayn Malik and Post Malone

The Jonas Brothers didn't go into hibernation immediately after the 2009 release of Lines, Vines and Trying Times, but they did slowly slip into a hiatus that lasted the better part of a decade.

And doesn’t it make sense that the Jonas Brothers would grow up to be L.A. playboys with a Machiavellian grasp of pop psychology?