Ever wondered what happened to that really exciting indie band from 2012, Two Door Cinema Club?
Well, after listening to their new album, Gameshow, you still might be, but not for the reasons you’d expect.
Two Door Cinema Club always had a synth sheen to their indie rock sound, but that’s been massively pumped up on this record, the guitar side of their sound pared down massively. This has forced the two major elements of their sound to become far more fused than on the predecessor Beacon. Which, in turn, has seemingly allowed them to indulge their more dancey elements. It makes their dance/disco feel more natural; less force and aggression and far more rhythm and feeling.
Album opener Are We Ready? (Wreck) hits hard from its opening moments with something of Sleigh Bell’s Rill Rill or The Go! Team’s playground chorus line to it, an undeniable punch and real progression. And it’s this maturity and cohesion that defines Gameshow. It’s masterfully done, and produces a batch of records that slot together wonderfully.
What holds it all together is a deep reverence throughout for 1980’s sounds and stylings. Today this is nothing new, but few have managed to sound like they’re having this much fun in doing it. It’s far more natural than most influenced records have been. It’s a New Wave Disco Record. Kind of Yazoo and Duran Duran meets The Smiths via Chic. With all the glimmer and glamour you’d expect from some bacchanal loft party of the era. It almost feels akin to what Wild Beasts were doing so well on their latest album, just focused on the more upbeat side of life.
Bad Decisions has an amazingly catchy sparkle to it, something also wonderfully done on Ordinary, while Fever manages to take this to the high class Giorgio Moroder-esque end of the disco spectrum.
But it’s not just shimmery disco. Lavender feels like a slight oddity. Its lighter, poppiness feels more Justin Timberlake than Donna Summer but it’s still a fantastically catchy track, only slightly left of the rest. Alternately, Invincible is a pitch perfect ‘power ballad’ with the requisite stand up moment, rousing anthem feel and huge electrified guitar solo. You can almost see John Cusack through the window, arms aloft, stereo in hand. Surgery dips its toes in electro/early hip hop flavours. It’s funky, full and fascinating.
All in all, what you get is a lot more than you were expecting. This isn’t more of the same, or even a ramped up offering. This is something new. The music on display is wonderfully nuanced and considered, not just dabbling in new ideas or testing the waters.
It might have been a little while in the making, but turns out it was more than worth the wait. Back in 2012, Two Door were exciting because they were new. Now they’re simply exciting.
That’s something worth celebrating, and you now have the perfect record to celebrate to.
