Never Trust A Happy Song Grouplove

• 1Itchin' On A Photograph04:19
• 2Tongue Tied03:38
• 3Lovely Cup04:18
• 4Colours04:18
• 5Slow03:38
• 6Naked Kids03:30
• 7Spun03:26
• 8Betty's a Bombshell03:35
• 9Chloe03:18
• 10Love Will Save Your Soul03:48
• 11Cruel and Beautiful World04:03
• 12Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten04:48
• Total Runtime46:39

Info for Never Trust A Happy Song

Never Trust A Happy Song was produced by the band's own Ryan Rabin and comes on the heels of their acclaimed, self-titled EP released early 2011. Heralded by NME as one of the 'Best New Bands of 2010,' Grouplove closed '10 touring the U.S. with The Joy Formidable and being handpicked to open a number of West Coast dates for Florence + The Machine. Since then, the band has been on the road nearly non-stop. SPIN declared Grouplove 'a band to watch in 2011' and called their track 'Colours' 'one of the most infectious songs you're bound to hear,' while NPR described their music as 'wild, thrilling and above all joyful noise.'

During one particularly anthemic moment of LA indie poppers Grouplove‘s debut full-length, Never Trust a Happy Song, Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper nearly shout, “We don’t need permission/We can go where we wanna go, say what we wanna say, and do what we wanna do.” It’s simultaneously rebellious, childish, and instantly appealing. Who doesn’t want to throw up that insubordinate middle finger every once in a while? Most of all, though, throughout the course of the album, that line proves to be honest, because whatever they want is what the quartet spends the entirety of their record doing. With the success of “Colours” and “Naked Kids” from 2010′s Grouplove EP, the band could have easily adhered to that formula for their full-length, pumping out sunny jams about skinny dipping and “naked kids, running wild and free.” Instead, they chose to experiment and test the limits of their abilities and sound. The results? A lot of them work; and some fall short. But even with that being said, for a debut, it’s a fun, promising effort from a band who has already established themselves as a live show mainstay in the indie realm.

The first third of the album, including bouncy opener “Itching on a Photograph”, picks up right where the EP left off, rich with handclaps and Zucconi’s now-characteristic vocals sliding in and out of sustained notes. The lyrical depth is limited to lines like “Love will save your soul,” but that doesn’t make them any less danceable and life-affirming. The experiments start with “Slow”, an aptly named track following “Colours”. Its lethargy and ultimately underwhelming vocals compound into a sizable buzzkill, only to be furthered by “Betty’s a Bombshell” a few tracks later. The overly dramatic chorus there renders the song a feeble attempt at an arena rock ballad. The bad news ends after that, though, as rockabilly-indebted “Chloe” and country-tinged “Cruel and Beautiful World” more than pick up the slack. The carefree, abandonment-of-authority energy of “Chloe” is contagious and radio-ready, and the tantalizing, twangy vocal harmonies on the latter showcase a vocal talent usually obscured by sheer excitement’s shrieks.

On the whole, Never Trust a Happy Song is an album of, well, happy songs – songs with an undeniable zest for life, completely irresistible. And, despite the title, it’s difficult not to trust the bright melodies and look forward to what Grouplove has up their flowing, flowery hippie sleeves next. (Caitlin Meyer, wwww.consequenceofsound.net)

Christian Zucconi, vocals, guitar
Hannah Hooper, vocals, keys
Sean Gadd, bass, vocals
Andrew Wessen, guitar, vocals
Ryan Rabin, drums

GROUPLOVE
Hannah Hooper met Christian Zucconi late one evening on the lower east side of Manhattan. They had both been living in New York for years and had never crossed paths before. But from that night forward the two could hardly be pulled apart. Soon after their connection Hooper was invited to an art residency in Greece on the island of Crete and Hooper insists 'without any hesitation' she invited Zucconi to join her on this journey. 'Seriously, we had only known one another for a few days but are both so inspired and alive when we are together that going to Greece seemed like a magical and natural thing to do' recalls Zucconi.

On Crete, in a small remote mountain village, Hooper and Zucconi met the members of their future band 'GROUPLOVE' a year before it was officially formed. Sean Gadd, a natural songwriter and guitar player, born and bred in London instantly bonded with the two eccentric New Yorkers. Their relationship became apparent through the music they were making day in and day out. Andrew Wessen, a pro surfer and musician from Los Angeles and his childhood friend Ryan Rabin, an accomplished drummer and producer, were also at the residency and quickly joined in with the musical trio. These five musicians make up the members of what we now know as GROUPLOVE .

Like all good things, the summer and the residency came to an end and the five friends scattered back to their homes all over the globe. With Sean in London, Christian and Hannah in Brooklyn and Ryan and Andrew in Los Angeles GROUPLOVE was faced with the challenge of what to do now. 'We all understood how rare it is for five strangers to feel as close as family and create passionate music together. We couldn't just return to Brooklyn and let the music we all made fade into a memory of that summer we had in Greece,' explains Zucconi. Everyone pulled their funds together and Sean, Christian and Hannah made their way to Ryan Rabin's studio in LA to record their album. 'We seriously had the best time of our lives doing that record', says Zucconi. And the result is an incredibly special album where soaring harmonies coupled with sweeping anthems lead you through their powerful journey. Like the members of GROUPLOVE, their music is diverse in influence and style but bonded together by an undeniably creative kinship.

Their experience back together and recording together was so potent that Hooper and Zucconi packed up their lives in Brooklyn and moved to LA to live and play their music.

'We never could have dreamt this up' says Zucconi, 'but at the same time we're not at all surprised - GROUPLOVE is meant to be. Our story a testament to fate, and our music is something we are ready to share.'

This album contains no booklet.