GROUPLOVE - Never Trust a Happy Song (2011) [24 bit FLAC] vinyl

  Released: 2011
  Duration: 46:34
  Genre: Pop/Rock
  Style: Alternative, Indie Rock
  Codec: FLAC
  Bit Rate: ~ 2,800 kbps
  Bits Per Sample: 24
  Sample Rate: 96,000 Hz

  01. Itchin' On A Photograph 4:19
  02. Tongue Tied 3:38
  03. Lovely Cup 4:17
  04. Colours 4:17
  05. Slow 3:38
  06. Naked Kids 3:30
  07. Spun 3:25
  08. Betty's Bomb Shell 3:34
  09. Chloe 3:18
  10. Love Will Save Your Soul 3:47
  11. Cruel And Beautiful World 4:03
  12. Close Your Eyes And Count To Ten 4:48

  Los Angeles-based indie rock outfit Grouplove's 2011 full-length debut, Never Trust a Happy Song, builds upon the neo-folk/rock and dancey indie rock of their 2010 self-titled EP. Still featuring the talents of lead vocalists Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi, Grouplove tend toward creating passionate, anthemic pop moments that are equal parts post-MGMT indie soul and post-Killers dance-rock. Songs "Tongue Tied," "Spun," and "Love Will Save Your Soul" have a rollicking, post-punk exuberance while more hippie-dippy cuts such as "Colours" and "Naked Kids" (a carry-over from the EP) bring to mind such psychedelic touchstones as the Flaming Lips and late-'60s Beach Boys. In that sense, Grouplove also fit nicely next to such similarly inclined contemporaries as Local Natives, New Villager, and Black Kids. Ultimately, Grouplove's Never Trust a Happy Song is a cohesive if ramshackle crowd-pleaser, full of melodic double-lead vocals, handclaps, ringing electric guitars, and staccato synth parts that tips a hat to '80s dance-rock while still retaining the band's obvious love of experimental '60s folk-rock.