A God-awful Small Affair

Things have finally come full circle for this little old blog of mine. Back in March I posted here a little bit of giddy praise for an EP that had come out last year, spawning several of my favourite playlist inclusions this year (particularly ' Don't Say Oh Well '). But enough ego boosting, I have a band to rave about. Hopefully. Borrowing just the two of their EP tracks for this, their debut LP, Grouplove have set out to inject buoyancy and vitality into a predominantly sour-faced indie scene. The album begins with clapping and twee basslines on 'Itchin' on a Photograph', a brash and blustery vocal assault that teeters uncertainly between youthful and irritating thanks to Christian Zucconi's nasal delivery, but is backed promisingly by a gripping chorus and climactic instrumentals. Any uncertainty about their poppy sounds are washed away though in 'Tongue Tied', a sugary-sweet anthem that exclaims "don't wave no goodbye!" with raw en...