The Pipettes are so easily reduced to a blurb — a girl group, with all the wardrobe coordination and synchronized dance moves that implies, but for indie-pop fans — that at first glance it might be tempting to dismiss the whole venture as merely a clever bit of opportunism and commercial calculation. But to be fair, all the original girl groups of the 1950s and 60s were no less calculated enterprises. More importantly, We Are the Pipettes is executed with such charm, style, and terrific pop instincts that the band needs no justification beyond its music. The record itself is agreeably concise, running through 14 songs and a gamut of retro styles in a little more than half an hour before it ever has a chance to wear out its welcome. The disco-fied ‘Pull Shapes’ is the only flat-out homerun here, but (relatively) lesser tracks like ‘Dirty Mind’ and ‘It Hurts to See You Dance So Well’ are still enough fun that you might not even mind when they start to spur all manner of obnoxiously twee dance parties.
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