Big Mess
(Canvasback/Atlantic)
"We're back in business!" Hannah Hooper proclaims on the opening track of GROUPLOVE's third album, and that's entirely evident on "Welcome to Your Life," which in my opinion is the strongest single the band has had in years.
This new release reflects the evolution of the band, whose members have matured both musically and emotionally, with marriage, parenthood and a lineup change all contributing factors to their current outlook and creativity. But it's still all about the particular upbeat sound which they embody: a blending of various genre elements, sunshine-y manic energy, and popular polish.
Unlike their previous releases - 2011's Never Trust A Happy Song and 2013's Spreading Rumours - this album appears to be definitively delineated between the band's two primary identities: indie rock true believers and enthusiastic EDM dabblers. And they perform each style well enough that the two disciplines blur throughout the arrangements and becomes their overall aesthetic. GROUPLOVE is a band comprised of musicians with widespread interests, and it shows in the diversity of their songwriting. But this album is sequenced in such a way that the crunchy rock bookends the airy electronica center. I see it as somewhat of a return to their formulaic sense of fun, but I don't use "formulaic" in the pejorative sense, more in terms of understanding that they know who they are. Big Mess is definitely less adventurous than Spreading Rumours, but mostly charming in its reprisal of those elements which the band uses to full advantage. I can't help but wonder if working with alt rock guru Phil Ek was partly the reason for a more homogeneous collection.
Love to the Group.
Hannah Hooper, Andrew Wesson, Christian Zucconi, Daniel Gleason and Ryan Rabin
And now onto the contents...
"Welcome to Your Life" is inscribed with Hit Single from its arrangement and textures to its lyrical sloganeering, but thoroughly compelling and fun to sing along with in the car. It's really touching to hear the voice of the song's central subject - Hannah and Christian's daughter Willa - sampled in the bridge.
"Do You Love Someone" has a great hook along with an interesting push-me-pull-you time signature, and Christian's ragged voice really sells it. His voice is unique enough that it is instantly recognizable in the context of the band's oeuvre.
"Standing in the Sun" skirts the edge of being filler, but the acoustic guitar hook is everything (as the kids say these days). This band definitely knows the value of a good hook, and sometimes that is all it takes to sell a song on being worth your attention.
"Enlighten Me" is the first of the electronica songs and its spacey textures are appropriate to Christian's philosophical musings. The beat which anchors the arrangement is a definite rumpshaker, but slowed down just enough to sound a tad more mystical. The middle break has a beautiful celestial quality to it, and the coda is nicely dramatic.
"Good Morning" showcases Hannah's playful hip-hop stylings set to a bouncy beat and old school synth sampling. If the credits didn't already reveal the fact, this would definitely be pegged as a Captain Cuts production. I envision sweaty people jumping in the club when I hear it. Andrew's melodic metallic wash of a solo provides an interesting contrast to the poppy feel of this track.
"Spinning" has an almost California Sound aura to it, somewhere between the Beach Boys and Phil Spector, but rendered within the confines of indie pop. The juxtaposition of Christian and Hannah's vocals is well-used. The overall vibe is laid back and doesn't shift too dramatically between verse and chorus, but the integrity of the arrangement is to the song's credit in that all of the meticulous detail isn't lost in an actual wall of sound.
"Cannonball" is my personal favorite, a thoroughly propulsive and incredibly catchy song, I hope it gets released as a single even as it is doesn't sound like anything else on the album. I can't be sure who is on lead vocal but the lyric has a great flow. It actually reminds me a bit of what Kanye West was doing on Yeezus, but not nearly as dark.
"Traumatized" returns to the rock side of things, with its power pop/punk feel, an interesting choice for a song which is actually about parental sacrifice.
"Heart of Mine" is the other song I'd label as filler, although it does contain a heartfelt message which I imagine is drawn directly from the lives of its composers.
"Don't Stop Making It Happen" is another one which would make a fun single, and that cowbell really truly is everything. I see this song as the tonal successor to "Tongue Tied" even if it lacks the absolutely joyful and addictive hook of the original. It also contains the best use of a cash register sample since Pink Floyd's "Money."
"Hollywood" continues the band's tradition of closing with a ballad which beautifully blends its singers' strengths, the kind of blood harmony which occurs when two people in love sing together. This song is a statement of identity, in a way, in that they position themselves in opposition to their chosen milieu: residing in a city where they are surrounded by artifice, the band declares it is wholly authentic. The use of strings in the instrumental break is a lovely touch.
In summation, Big Mess is an easy enjoyable listen - it reminds me of how I felt the first time I heard Never Trust A Happy Song. It's too bad such a summery album was released at the end of Summer, although it will do very well to evoke that mood for their fans all year long. And there's something to be said for fostering traditional values, so even if the title is meant to be a bit ironic, the musical mess these five people make is always big and bright, exactly as they desire.
