ALBUM REVIEW: Grouplove ‘Spreading Rumours’

It’s been 3 years since the release of Grouplove‘s punchy debut “Never Trust A Happy Song”. In that time Grouplove have maintained their trademark sense of jolly urgency in their sophomore effort “Spreading Rumours”. If lead single ‘Shark Attack’ was anything to go by, the stuttering acoustic electro powered up, dopamine-fuelled serenade of “I am what I am, natural disaster” , sets up a fork in the road for the band. Compared to ‘Colours’,  it comes across more direct – from the occasional pang of steel drums in ‘Shark Attack’ to the jagged fuzzed synths loading up the chorus. But if this is the golden bullet of the album, we find there are more rounds to be fired.

Equally thrilling is ‘Borderlines and Aliens’ that basks in paralleled riffs that  bounce around like a nodding dog crowd-surfing a jumping Glastonbury audience. It doesn’t lose its pace, but pummels forward with an air of confidence and assurance. The chorus explodes into an ascending tower of cascading drums, strung out guitars, and a soaring vocal that rises with the instruments. Meanwhile ‘Didn’t Have To Go’ is a melancholic anthem for those who are mourning a loss of someone who – well –  didn’t have to go. It begins with a shimmering moonlight shaded vocal, then turns into a power pop stormer and flickers back to its calmer point of view with “you said young love never dies“. It’s a song I love, but couldn’t help wishing for a barer version of, as Hannah Hooper’s vocals pack a heavier parcel of emotional weight when sung melodically as opposed to the shout of the chorus; the same goes for ‘I’m With You’. They’re both delightfully ecstatic performances, but Christian Zucconi’s vocals have a raw breathy quality to them that can be masked by the speeding wall of sound.

This is not to say the band’s second album doesn’t deliver a degree of pathos, but the power pop doesn’t mix well at times and manages to emulsify vocals, sounding like oil and vinegar; such is the case in ‘Ways to Go’, which doesn’t add up in terms of matching the vertical zig-zagging synths with the vocal delivery. Yet Grouplove can make a sad smoothie containing the sweetest ingredients, and such is the case with ‘Schoolboy’. It’s a refreshing rockalong with a backdrop of morbid strumming.

‘Sit Still’ is a soft rock number that allows Grouplove time to breathe, and along with ‘News to Me’, shows that allowing space for the vocals, as well as the instruments, gives the album more flow rather than sonic assaults. What is good to see is that the band are experimenting and have come on since ‘Never Trust a Happy Song’, and have ammo in the form of future anthems, such as ‘Spreading Rumours’. For me the album centre-piece is ‘Raspberry’, with its brooding riffs and raspy yet sweet vocals. It feels like the album’s most naturally rocky moment, and comes off as effortless in its direct way. The album draws to a close with the solemn ‘Save The Party For Me’, which uses its breathy acoustics to give an atmosphere that  Hannah Hunt and Christian Zucconi’s vocals can easily glide over.

It’s not perfect, but it’s progression. The band are pushing forward their sound sonically, while keeping what makes them Grouplove, so in that sense it is a victory. While the first half of the album is a blast of jovial electro-guitar bangers, the second half strays more on the side of prompt soft rock and swaying, swelling raw balladry. It’s one hell of a mixed bag for ‘Spreading Rumours’, but the bag suits the record.

 

Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans

I'm Oliver and I am currently based in Bristol. I prefer the rock genre, but I like writing about other genres like blues, jazz, reggae, pop, R&B, and hip-hop as well. Live for anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metronomy, and Pulled Apart By Horses. Future UWE Bristol Journalism Graduate. If you wish to get in touch please email - oliverevans95@gmail.co.uk
Oliver Evans

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