Be Impressive

Resenha do Álbum

Here come the Griswolds, a fuchsia-colored hand grenade of '80s-inspired pop, signed, sealed, and delivered from Sydney, Australia. Following the release of their Heart of a Lion EP in 2012, the band's star quickly rose, receiving heavy blog love and charting well in both their home county and in Europe. The quartet signed on with mega indie Wind-Up Records and were in turn paired with producer Tony Hoffer (M83, Beck, Foster the People) who made them a blinking billboard of modern indie pop. Be Impressive is not only the neon-lit title of their debut album, but apparently it's also the band's M.O. Subtlety is the enemy of impossibly perky songs like the thundering synth anthem "Right On Track" and the title cut, which features a cheerleading children's choir spelling out the chorus over a bed of bubbling soda pop. Strains of contemporary pop's biggest and brightest can be heard in their sounds: the chippy faux-Graceland guitar punctuations of Vampire Weekend, the bright synth pop bursts of Passion Pit, the explosive electro-pop of MGMT, and the radio-friendly soul-pop of Maroon 5. This is music aimed at stardom, packaged for the world to enjoy, and you've got to give them credit for coming out with guns blazing. Many of the songs are very catchy with strong choruses and hooks, but there is a sense, as with many large-scale pop records, of them being designed rather than written and as a result, the Griswolds suffer from a feeling of insincerity. Some will probably be drawn in by this somewhat generic, sugary pop, but Be Impressive isn't quite as distinguished as its title would suggest.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo