Four years ago, five strangers met on a retreat in the middle of the Greek islands, wrote a hit record, and shortly after became one of the biggest rising stars in the indie pop world.
Not the most conventional beginnings for the guys and girl of Grouplove, but when listening to their music, I really wouldn’t expect it any other way. They hit the ground running two years ago with the smash hit “Tongue Tied,” and have yet to slow down with their own quirky brand of infectious tunes. With the release of their sophomore album Spreading Rumors, Grouplove has begun exploring even more facets of their sound and continued to put out amazingly catchy hits.The album opens with some gorgeous piano riffs and layered melodies in “I’m With You,” that really caught me off guard at first. Then again, when looking at the musical choices on this entire album, it’s really all about expecting the unexpected. Chugging guitar, lazer-like synth, excessive tambourine and wailing vocals all melt together to make up one wonderfully upbeat musical concoction that’s so wrong, it’s right. I dare you to try and not smile while listening to Grouplove….It’s pretty close to impossible when all you want to do is dance to it!
Spreading Rumors isn’t all upbeat though, bringing variety with some slower tracks like “Hippy Hill,” and “Schoolboy,” the former track bearing my favorite line of the whole album, “I’d rather be a hippie than a hipster, what?” The line stuck out to me immediately, the group nodding to the fact that their group has been mostly picked up by the Starbucks drinking and Tumblr blogging “hipster” culture.
I appreciate that while they have been experimenting with synth and new musical frontier, you still hear that they are very much grounded in their natural hippie elements. If you have ever watched a live performance of theirs, they haven’t changed a thing about themselves, even with the sudden surge of fame. It is their music that stands at the forefront. My favorite tracks on the album include, singles “Ways To Go,” and “Borderlines And Aliens,” as well as “Shark Attack,” all because I feel like they showcase Grouplove’s vocals, instrumentation and overall positive energy.
Spreading Rumors is out now in stores and on iTunes everywhere! This album is the perfect pick me up and different than anything else out there right now. If it has taken you this long to come around, don’t waste another minute!
