Managing to make it this far in life without hearing the veined positivity of “This Is The Life”, or relentless indie-beats of “Undercover Martyn” would be a truly impressive feat. Two Door Cinema Club are a band who truly need no introduction, or if they do, their fan-favourite tracks might kick-start latent reminiscence of TV adverts gone-by.
Keep On Smiling is the prominent message throughout their latest sonic venture, as Two Door Cinema Club offer a much welcome shine of positivity through uplifting lyrics and infectious pop beats. Offering a taste-test tour of the best genres that the group have to offer, they dive through indie-electronica (“Blue Light”) and stadium-worthy anthems (“Millionaire”), then heading straight back to their roots of infectious indie rock (“Feeling Strange”).
Looping around central themes of finding their way in a fractured world, the band reflect on culture loss and the fast-paced evolution of society on “Lucky,” and though their newer musical direction is prominent throughout, the trio are careful not to veer far from the sound that brought them fame. For example, lead single “Wonderful Life” wouldn’t find itself too out of place on any of their earlier records.
Despite the arguably down-beat narratives, Two Door Cinema Club highlight the importance of maintaining optimism through their boldly positive numbers that make it nigh-on-impossible for anything other than euphoria to be incited through. The suave beats of “Everybody’s Cool” stand out alongside sultry vocals, pair well with the deep-cutting basslines of “Little Piggy,” with the record finding its apex in the funky instrumentations of “Won’t Do Nothing.”
Though the album, on a whole, shows experimentation for the band (moving slightly to the side of their indie roots but opting for a more parallel trajectory), there is little room for movement or range within the tracks themselves. This electro-funk, nu-disco angle may be shiny and band new – but the band show no signs of experimenting within this new era (apart from the Stranger Things-esque thrumming percussion found in the opening track “Messenger Ad”). Though impressive and vaguely explorative, the record falls slightly short of the mark for an outfit aiming to reinvent themselves.
Where Keep On Smiling might not be achieving them platinum status again through lack of movement, it still holds true to their ability to produce optimistic and fruitful indie cuts.
