There’s really nothing new to say about indie-pop bands who tout a bunch of Phil Spector-type girl-group influences, yet really owe a bigger debt to the lazy bubblegum of Beat Happening, but that doesn’t stop them from rolling out every summer. The Brunettes are Sub Pop’s latest offering on that front, and there’s a lot for fans of Architecture in Helsinki and Rilo Kiley to like: cute lyrics, co-ed harmonies, and an ever-present dose of irony. Yet like Architecture in Helsinki, they work hard to bring a big, collective vibe to all their songs. It’s weird, for one, because they’re really a duo in the studio, but also because the emphasis on arrangement tends to slow everything down a notch. For a record that starts out like a cheerleader singalong, there are plenty of jumpy song structures and aimless, mellow tracks to be found on the back end. It almost sounds like they were too busy dressing up their songs to finish them. If they just stuck to bubblegum, it’d be way more fun.
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