CD of The Week

Just as their band name suggests, the members of Grouplove seem to be connected by a strong musical bond. It all seems to stem from the way their voices harmonize so beautifully together and the way their individual songwriting is coordinated in such a cohesive way. But don't let the name of their debut album Never Trust a Happy Song fool you, because they actually write really deep, fun-loving pop rock songs that will make you feel good. Trust me.

One thing that really catches my ear is their arresting and vibrant vocals. At least three of the band members take turns between singing main and backing vocals (<strong>Christian Zucconi</strong> — guitars, Hannah Hooper — keyboards, and Sean Gadd — bass) and at any given time they can be found howling brashly in the background or gently caressing your eardrums with a softer voice. They also create these fantastic swinging beats with lots layers in the music between them, especially in bass-driven “Tongue Tied” and “Lovely Cup.”

Quite a few songs include a fun use of “Ha!,” “Hoo!” and other vocal sounds — my favorites occur in “Colours,” “Spun,” and “Love Will Save Your Soul.” This adds depth in certain songs and a carefree vibe in others. It always sounds like there are more people performing than just five, as they all have such an enormous amount of energy. The only times they really slow things down are in “Slow,” “Cruel and Beautiful World” and “Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten,” but these still include the same raised intensity of the vocals to emphasize the chorus.

Given the diversity experienced on this album between each song and singer, it’ll be really interesting to see if they keep that range on their next album or if they go in a more specific direction.