Pop overload.

If Tokyo Police Club incorporated elements with any rock influence prior to their most recent release, they have since been diminished. Forcefield is a pop album through and through. The group is excessively energetic, with simplistic guitar and synthesizer riffs joyously plugging away. Many great bands have used this same instrumentation and created really awesome records, however all of the lyrics in this album make it subpar in comparison. David Monks sounds like a lovesick teenager who has failed miserably in pursuit of his most recent crush, has finally won her over, or is has broken her heart. For a moment in the beginning of “Through the Wire,‰” there is hope for a change in pace, perhaps more of an indie rock feel in the midst of an exhaustingly pop-drenched record as it opens with an acoustic guitar and vocals that are slightly muffled. That is almost immediately dismissed. The opening track “Argentina,‰” which is three times longer than any other Tokyo Police Club song, is the most bearable track on the album. But don‰’t be fooled, Monks is still reflecting on his high school sweetheart in this track as he sings, “Oh girl, I want you wearing my t-shirt, XL. Oh yeah! You wear it well.‰” If you want to hear if he wins the girl, the remaining eight tracks reveal how the story unfolds.

RIYL: Bombay Bicycle Club, Ra Ra Riot, Passion Pit
Recommended Tracks: 1