The Long Blondes - "Couples"

THE LONG BLONDES
“Couples”

With a debut album that was a winning mix of guitars, keys and wit one might expect from a band hailing from the same city as Pulp, The Long Blondes received many plaudits. So it is somewhat unexpected that the band’s second long-player moves in a slightly different direction.

While the clever wordplay – based around references to British celebs such as Peter Sellers and Ronnie Corbett - remains, opener Century demonstrates how “Couples” heads down a much more synth-drenched path. Therefore, it is little surprise to learn that the album’s producer, Erol Alkan, has previously worked with Daft Punk, Justice, Klaxons and Hot Chip.

This strong start is followed by Guilt, a dazzling track that lands slightly closer to The Long Blondes’ first record, with funky guitars and an unabashed vocal that channels a young Debbie Harry at her most vivacious. Next up, The Couples is pleasing enough, but the age-old trick of putting all of the strongest tracks at the start of the album is all too apparent here, as things soon take a downturn.

The clunky, ugly I Liked The Boys and Round The Hairpin sandwich the unsubtle Here Comes The Serious Bit, which tries to make up for a lack of melody with a shouted chorus that aims at being rousing but is actually pretty annoying. Later in the album, Too Clever By Half and Nostalgia are interesting in their electronic experimentation, but ever so slightly miss the mark, which pretty much sums the album up as a whole.