While mixing easy-going pop rock with heartfelt lyrics Sweden’s own Shout Out Louds have been attracting buzz since their last release, 2007’s Our Ill Wills, broke into the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Despite gaining acclaim and popularity in their homeland, the group has yet to cultivate a large fan base in the US.
After a half-year hiatus, Shout Out Louds are back with Work, a bona fide 80s mope tribute. This is hardly a knock on their style, though. The Cure’s influence on the group’s sound is apparent when Adam Olenius’s accent leaks through and keyboards follow point for point with synthesized strings and horns.
The understated way the group plays is both refreshing and easy on the ears. It’s fun, sing-along pop without the guilt. Without the typical bouncing bass lines, loud drums, and big guitars more prevalent in pop rock, lead guitars strum through reverb and drop swift, zippy lines without attracting too much attention to themselves. Even as a guitar scratches out a solo, your ear is paying more attention to the one playing the melody. In a period where electronic effects and distortion are as popular as ever, it’s refreshing to hear a band playing well as an ensemble on instruments that don’t need access to a 3G network. Shout Out Louds don’t try anything tricky, or new: no crass lyrics, no super producer, and no celebrity collaborations—just an honest effort.
The songwriting is neither sappy nor overwrought, the bridges are brilliant, the riffs stay light and the chord progressions stay unpredictable despite walking the dangerous line between indie pop and pop punk. At some points the synthesizers get a little campy, but face it, they’re endearing. This album also brings the loser/lover figure back to rock music. With the majority of new music being either danceable or introspective, there hasn’t been a rock figure you can feel sorry for yourself with. It just makes me sorry I missed the Smiths.
Work is a darn solid effort, but it just isn’t memorable enough. Our Ill Wills had a bolder sound, where Work is too shy. Without big hooks or emotional suspense the album loses the attention of its listener. Imagine Peter, Bjorn, and John fronted by Charlie Brown. Sure, he’s likeable, but he’ll never be the most popular kid in school.
Voice’s Choices: “1999,” “Fall Hard,” “Paper Moon”
