Grouplove are back with a newly announced album, titled ‘This is This.‘
If this album was confectionary, it would be a box of Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts. Released on Friday, ‘This Is This’ is Grouplove’s 5th full-length album. It features a variety of songs to headbang to, an expressive compilation of nine tracks. Known for their iconic 2011 party anthem ‘Tounge Tied,’ the ever-growing maturity of the band is blinding. Having previously spent 26 consecutive weeks at number one in the Modern Rock Charts in 2012, they have big boots to fill with their latest release.
Opening with ‘Primetime,’ Grouplove, seem to have lost their easy-going nostalgic feel, instead presenting us with an eerie and explorative song, filled with electronics and desperate rhythmic drumming. It’s a chaotic start. This is a regular occurrence on the album, feeling like Grouplove are sprouting new genres everywhere you turn. Although this seems disorderly, they have never lost credibility. It is followed by ‘This is the End,’ a track reminiscent of the grunge era. Overall, it is a much more casual track, presenting a familiar sadness, similar to that of ‘Let Me In.’ Many will remember this track from the soundtrack of The Fault in our Stars from 2014.
Noteworthy achievements from Grouplove include having their songs featured on FIFA, Glee, and Coca-Cola commercials. From these accolades alone, it is clear that their music is appealing to a wide range of audiences. Providing yet more diversity is ‘Deadline.’ It is a charismatic moment for the band, that at first can be perceived as a lyrically cheesy set-up. It is animated, upbeat and almost nonsensical, featuring a surprise bridge that links to punkier roots. Although, if you blink, you’ll miss it.
This latest album seems like the metaphorical response of how the band have dealt with lockdowns and uncertainty, a mixed bag of emotion that creates an explosive result. Their previous album release, ‘Healer,’ was only released in March of 2020, meaning that they were unable to tour because of the pandemic. however, they were the first US band to be certified as climate positive by the UN, so there were some silver linings to last year for the band as a whole. This album is a showcase of everything the band are capable of, and a triumph for them to be able to release such a diverse collection in almost apocalyptic times.
The two most exciting songs on the album meet in the middle together. ‘Scratch’ emulates classic American punk, the repeated lyrics and angsty notes nod towards ‘Gives You Hell‘ by The-All American Rejects, but with an almost folky twang. ‘Oxygen Swimming‘ has a significant poetic flow to it, a love story to nature with bohemian country notions. Many of us can relate to the feeling of oxygen swimming in the last year, with the time we spend outside being cherished, so I feel this is a very considered release. Here’s to hoping that ‘This Is This’ can be toured and promoted similarly to their earlier releases. In 2016, their world tour for Big Mess raised thousands for Charity:Water, an organisation dedicated to the provision of clean drinking water to those in developing nations.
Having toured with many famous faces, it only seems right to see a collaboration on the new album. ‘Just What You Want’ features a collaboration from Dani Miller of Surfbort. It makes sense that the album draws back to garage routes, with angry self-indulgent lyrics about succumbing to a lover.
There’s only one word to describe ‘Seagulls,’ and that would be LOUD. This is the part of the album where I started to feel a bit let down. We discover that ‘Shake That Ass’ is a bit of a cliché.
“Shake your ass on camera / Shake your ass online / Do your dance”
The track tries to be so simple that it is clever, with a 90’s gaming jingle melody. It did leave me feeling slightly deflated with the autotune and looping, leaving any listener a bit mind-numbed.
Managing to hook me back in, ‘Shout’ is the last stretch of the temperamental marathon, leaving me remembering Grouplove as voluminous and courageous. An outburst of “Let it all out” leaves a dark, more serious side of the band with you. At 5:56, it is the longest song on the album, and they’ve created a powerful narrative while venting. Building up, the two vocalists end up reflecting the phrase “You are not alone” off of each other whilst engulfed in a guitar solo. As the song reaches a climax, you hear vibrations, distorted laughter and easy chatter. Marked with planned silence, ‘Shout’ is the light at the end of the tunnel, providing optimism in a seemingly everlasting pandemic.
