Grouplove - Never Trust A Happy Song (Édition Studio Masters) '2011/2013

Tracks list

Tracklist
---------
01. Itchin on a Photograph
02. Tongue Tied
03. Lovely Cup
04. Colours
05. Slow
06. Naked Kids
07. Spun
08. Bettys a Bombshell
09. Chloe
10. Love Will Save Your Soul
11. Cruel and Beautiful World
12. Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten


Never Trust A Happy Song was produced by the bands own Ryan Rabin and comes on
the heels of their acclaimed, self-titled EP released early 2011. Heralded by
NME as one of the Best New Bands of 2010, Grouplove closed 10 touring the U.S.
with The Joy Formidable and being handpicked to open a number of West Coast
dates for Florence + The Machine. Since then, the band has been on the road
nearly non-stop. SPIN declared Grouplove a band to watch in 2011 and called
their track Colours one of the most infectious songs youre bound to hear, while
NPR described their music as wild, thrilling and above all joyful noise. 

During one particularly anthemic moment of LA indie poppers Grouplove‘s
debut full-length, Never Trust a Happy Song, Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper
nearly shout, “We don’t need permission/We can go where we wanna
go, say what we wanna say, and do what we wanna do.” It’s
simultaneously rebellious, childish, and instantly appealing. Who doesn’t
want to throw up that insubordinate middle finger every once in a while? Most of
all, though, throughout the course of the album, that line proves to be honest,
because whatever they want is what the quartet spends the entirety of their
record doing. With the success of “Colours” and “Naked
Kids” from 2010′s Grouplove EP, the band could have easily adhered
to that formula for their full-length, pumping out sunny jams about skinny
dipping and “naked kids, running wild and free.” Instead, they chose
to experiment and test the limits of their abilities and sound. The results? A
lot of them work; and some fall short. But even with that being said, for a
debut, it’s a fun, promising effort from a band who has already
established themselves as a live show mainstay in the indie realm. 

The first third of the album, including bouncy opener “Itching on a
Photograph”, picks up right where the EP left off, rich with handclaps and
Zucconi’s now-characteristic vocals sliding in and out of sustained
notes. The lyrical depth is limited to lines like “Love will save your
soul,” but that doesn’t make them any less danceable and
life-affirming. The experiments start with “Slow”, an aptly named
track following “Colours”. Its lethargy and ultimately underwhelming
vocals compound into a sizable buzzkill, only to be furthered by
“Betty’s a Bombshell” a few tracks later. The overly dramatic
chorus there renders the song a feeble attempt at an arena rock ballad. The bad
news ends after that, though, as rockabilly-indebted “Chloe” and
country-tinged “Cruel and Beautiful World” more than pick up the
slack. The carefree, abandonment-of-authority energy of “Chloe” is
contagious and radio-ready, and the tantalizing, twangy vocal harmonies on the
latter showcase a vocal talent usually obscured by sheer excitement’s
shrieks. 

On the whole, Never Trust a Happy Song is an album of, well, happy songs
– songs with an undeniable zest for life, completely irresistible. And,
despite the title, it’s difficult not to trust the bright melodies and
look forward to what Grouplove has up their flowing, flowery hippie sleeves
next.

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