Friendly Fires - Pala

MORe of the same from indie's most boring disco.

In late 2008 Friendly Fires' self-titled record dropped and made a ripple of carefree indie-pop. Singles such as 'Paris', 'Skeleton Boy' and 'Jump in the Pool', with the help of Radio 1 and their "we can be cool too!!" team, pushed them into the outskirts of mainstream success. They filled the void that Klaxons had opened the year before - but with nothing as revolutionary. That much is devastatingly clear on their follow-up, Pala.

It starts pretty much where they left off, and as they mean to go on. Single 'Live Those Days Tonight' is a mixture of hazy dream sequence synths, echoed vocals and jaunty drumbeats that all build towards their signature, almost latin, indie disco sound. To its credit it's a faultless interpretation of the synth-and-optimism anthems that currently dominate the pop world. However by 'Blue Cassette' we're reminded of that world's many, many pitfalls - because once you've got their token echoes and synths out of the way what exactly are you left with? The track lingers with a repeated distortion hook and little else going on, whilst Ed McFarlane warbles "when I hear your voice, it sets my heart on fire!" with little in the way of passion.


However, when they nail a hook, they can be pretty inspired. 'Running Away' makes nice use of chimes and a disco bassline, with some drum effects last seen in the 80s thrown in for good fun. 'Hawaiian Air' has a strong rave-reviving riff that could be something of a grower, but lacks in variety or way of a chorus. That said, McFarlane does his best to try and spark some interest, resurrecting his breathy vocals at times. 'Hurting' then puts them in Daft Punk mode, thriving off the back of a perfectly executed funk instrumental.

This is where it all goes tits up. The title track is an attempt at a "morning after the night before" bit of shoegazing that plods along a little too self-indulgently and by now Ed's breathing "Palaaaaaa"s grate on those a little less than captured by the rose-tinted view. 'Show Me Lights' slaps a few attempts at melody in your face but with the precision of a cat on roller skates, ending up like a very loud rehash of various 80s hits (the drums from In The Air Tonight are in there somewhere). Perhaps it's a personal taste thing, because it can't be coincidence that my interest piques again in the disco funkiness of 'True Love' that brushes aside all troubles (aside from "all I want is to feel true love", of course) and revels in dance.

Those issues resurface in 'Pull Me Back to Earth', introducing itself with "Your love is unrequited!" over a jerked and genuinely motivating rhythm - poised for future single work, surely - with more hooks than the rest of the album put together. 'Chimes' lives up to its name, clinking away cutely with endearing catchiness, and a persistent synth puts them back into electropop territory with astonishing appeal. But by 'Helpless' all hopes of reinvention or something new from the band are long gone, thudding along with a few celestial wipes to try and kickstart a tune.


The thing with Pala is that it stoops in such safe territory, with a sound that's somewhat left designated for the band to typecast themselves with, that it feels like Pala's all been done before. There are indeed moments of fun, of catchy pop hooks, but for me the whole "I'm going to discuss my love life over a disco" affair should be left to Robyn. She's cute when she does it. Friendly Fires aren't cute.

Rating: 5/10
Highlights: Pull Me Back to Earth, Hurting, Live Those Days Tonight, True Love
Avoid: Pala, Show Me Lights, Hawaiian Air, Helpless
Artwork Watch: The backside of a parrot is never a likely candidate for album sleeves but it's colourful so it'll do, innit.