The Garbage Man and the Ambulance

Shout Out Louds is one of the those indie rock bands that nearly everyone can recognize on some level.
Whether you have an appreciation for Swedish Adam Olenius’s unique croon or a teenage girl infatuation after hearing “Very Loud” from Nick and Norah’s Ultimate Playlist, this band caught the scene’s attention with 2005’s Howl Howl Gaff Gaff and has been flying above the radar ever since.

However, the band’s sophomore release, Our Ill Wills, did not arrive with the oomph or receive the commotion of its predecessor, and breaths were held concerning Work, which dropped Feb. 23.

Would this band boast another “Very Loud” or “Tonight I Have To Leave It,” or would they fade back into indie obscurity? Work’s answer is, well, neither.

The band has hit the middle of the road, with nothing painful on the ears but also nothing slated for a familiar movie soundtrack. It’s still a neat little album, but there’s nothing amazing or new being created by Shout Out Louds here.

Of course, it’s the albums like this that are the hardest to review.

Racy tracks like piano-driven “1999” and “Fall Harder” are catchy enough while they are on, inducing some foot-tapping and head-nodding during their durations, but nothing is noteworthy enough to get caught in a listener’s head.

That’s not to say these songs are bad. The simple buoyancy of “Candle Burned Out” is refreshing and fun.
From “Walls” to “Too Late, Too Slow,” the guitar and percussion are solid together and Olenius’s voice never stops being pretty to hear. “Play The Game” and “Moon” are slower, more instrumental tracks that are some of the most appealing, measured songs Shout Out Louds has made.

“Show Me Something New,” the strongest track on the album, is the closest the band comes to recapturing that Howl Howl sound. “You and I have a hard thing to describe / You have so much to live for / I’m just dying to stay alive,” sings Olenius, and with an equally catchy chorus, this song dominates.

Ignoring the fact that every other song has been an emotional ode, this one was has a successful edge that isn’t reflected in the rest of the album. Which is a shame.

It’s tricky to explain how Work misses the mark. This album has so much potential that predominantly goes unreleased from number to number.

Each song is a cute track that is easily forgettable and, unless you are looking for some lovesick background noise to clean, nap or write a paper to, will come and pass without you noticing the transition from song to song.

Hopefully, Shout Out Louds will get it together for its next album and rally around its Howl Howl roots.

-Liz