Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song reviews
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| Popmatters |
 With a name that could imply the peaceful bonding of 1960s flower children or also the drastically absurd (perverted?) idea of an Eyes Wide Shut-style orgy, Grouplove give the impression either way that they’re a sensual band with flair for the over-the-top. Except, unlike the kinds of people who attend masked balls literally ending in a cluster fuck, these guys don’t incline that they’re at all interested in setting a mood for arousal or animalistic sex. Rather, the five Angelenos more-so display the work of close friends tinkering on instruments in a garage and seeing what they can come up with…which unfortunately is also an ethic that doesn’t quite work in their favor.
On their debut record, Never Trust a Happy Song, Grouplove’s title shines surprisingly clear, though not for their probable intentions. An inexplicable warning not to judge a song’s meaning by its sound, the irony seeps in how all 12 tracks become more and more boring with each listen. Minus the opening track and single “Itchin’ On a Photograph”, Never Trust doesn’t have the depth to demand more listens. Though “Itchin’” revs the album’s engine with its layered formula and driving bass, the following 11 songs eventually blow the clutch. “Tongue Tied” pumps Passion Pit-like beats that push the band into that same electro-pop category that so many other projects are involved in today, ruining the tone of the album a mere five minutes in, and though the reggae-urged “Lovely Cup” and Modest Mouse-influenced “Colours” both stand on their own, they don’t have the vigor to rejuvenate the anticipation with which “Itchin’” started us off.
For every song on Never Trust that’s listenable, there’s an equally unlistenable counterpart. “Betty’s a Bombshell” has the charisma and sentiment of Stereophonics’ more tender work, but “Chloe” sounds like a Dropkick Murphys song crooned by Billy Joel. (Though come to think of it, that would probably be a bigger bar hit than “Living On a Prayer”.) Same goes for “Cruel and Beautiful World” and “Slow”, the former ripping at your heartstrings like Conor Oberst, but the latter boring you to sleep with repetition and a half-assed drum beat. And let’s not forget “Naked Kids,” which should be nominated for two musical Razzies (if they existed) for “Worst Song Title” and “Worst Lyrics” (“Cruising down the highway with my friend’s top down / And we’re all on our way to the beach.”) It leaves more than a sour aftertaste for the second half of the record....full text |
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| Guardian |
| Despite the nudge-nudge connotations of their name, it appears the love this California-based Anglo-American quintet feel for each other is entirely platonic (except in the case of their two singers, Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi). So there goes the one element that would have distinguished them from Best Coast and other bands producing similarly sunny-day alt-pop. Hooper has spoken of "heavy content" simmering beneath the elated rush of guitar and keyboards, but any heaviness is only glancingly alluded to ("The colours you had, no need to be sad, it really ain't that bad," Zucconi twitters despondently on Colours). Mostly, their debut album offers many reasons to be cheerful, such as Chloe's cute rockabilly twist, the ukulele that kicks off Spun and the hazy, MGMT-ish nostalgia of Naked Kids. What it lacks in originality it makes up for in sweet vibes, which may not keep Grouplove going for ever, but is enough for the moment....full text |
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| Nme |
| Sugary and sunny and stuffed with melodies, this California quintet are hard to hate, and with omnipresent single ‘Colours’, hard to avoid. One of NME’s bands to watch in 2009, they’ve taken their sweet time in getting their debut out. Only two tracks from their well-received, small-but-perfectly formed 2010 ‘Grouplove’ EP are included here, and the big question must be: will we still love them after a whole album? Or is it kick-a-puppy-in-the-face-o’clock? Let’s see…...full text |
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