Irish indie-rock group Two Door Cinema Club released their third full length studio LP this past weekend. The group, formed in 2007, consists of guitarist/vocalist Alex Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird.
Two Door’s debut album “Tourist History” was released in mid-2010 to critical acclaim. The album was a symphony of dance-punk. Each song featured an infectious hook, an exciting breakdown and oftentimes both. “Beacon” was released two years later, exemplifying a more thoughtful side of the band, to the surprise and apprehensive respect of most critics.
It saddens me to write that “Gameshow” might just be the weakest Two Door Cinema Club album released to date, and one of the blandest albums I’ve heard this year. The band fails to bring diversity to their once-passionate songwriting, and have gotten much too comfortable with their position in indie music.
“Tourist History” was a landmark because of its universal appeal. Similar to how The Beatles worked, every song was interesting, moving and evocative to people of, in general, all ages and backgrounds. I distinctly remember playing the album and seeing my non-English speaking grandfather dance along to it. That alone says a lot about the group’s unique style.
When compared to previous material, “Gameshow” is nauseatingly average. The songs do not sound genuine and the album never even attempts to take risks to such an extent that it feels like blatant exploitation of the mainstream pop formula. This is fine, I have overproduced hyper-pop jams in my playlists too, but it’s not even memorable in that sense either.
It feels harsh to say that, because the record is okay without comparisons to Two Door’s older stuff. It’s radio friendly, it has groove and it hits all the check-marks that fans expected Two Door to hit. But after four years of waiting for another album I’m disappointed.
Tracks like “Are We Ready?”, “Lavender” and “Je Viens De La” are what I consider to be the highlights from the record. All others feel like B-sides off of “Beacon” or rushed answers to an exam on songwriting.
Trimble’s quick and rhythmic vocal performances are replaced with metallic falsetto croons that are just for flair. They fit the aesthetic, but exist only for the sake of being there. I don’t consider it an issue but there’s no way he’ll be able to sing “Surgery” live.
Every song sounds the same, and I hate making that argument because albums are supposed to be stylistically cohesive. However, what’s offered in “Gameshow” isn’t worth 40 minutes, unlike “Tourist History,” which is powerful and memorable after the first five.
It seems like Bloc Party and Two Door Cinema Club are having similar career trajectories with exhilarating debut albums only to be followed up by underwhelming releases thereafter. The difference is that Bloc Party went in an interesting and experimental direction. “Gameshow” is colorless, but easy to dance to, for what it’s worth.
And that’s all it is: something to dance to when nothing else is on. Passion Pit and Phoenix do what this album does with so much more charm.
“Gameshow” isn’t horrible — it’s decently produced and will definitely get people to move at concerts. But I don’t think I’ll ever get the answer “Gameshow” to the question “What’s your favorite Two Door Cinema Club record?”
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Audrin Baghaie is a culture reporter and movie reviewer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AudrinTheOdd.
