Review Summary: Two Door Cinema are proving a band doesn't have to start out their career saving the world. Just saving themselves.
I normally don't like anything this "clean" sounding, but
Tourist History is so undeniably catchy (the kind that subconsciously takes over your mind) that throughout its clean and safe runtime, it hardly matters. The melodies are clear and sharp, the rhythms effortlessly danceable, every little falsetto croon rings as nothing but charming. Two Door Cinema's sweet and innocent pop is as lovable as a couple of kittens; soft and cuddly but there's life in those little eyes, curious life.
It can also can be quite a layered sound Two Door Cinema produces, as evident in "Something Good Can Work", as pricks of melody float through an obscenely catchy chorus that eventually falls into a rhythm-vocal shout interchange that is as fun as it is endearing. It shows a maturity in their songwriting which is especially impressive considering this is their debut. "What You Know" is also another piece of indie-pop/rock goodness, the only complaint being is it doesn't go on forever. And there's nothing here that goes for too long, there's not enough ambition to fault anything, even though lack of ambition can intself be a fault. But not here:
Tourist History isn't out to blow brains, it has its fun and goes to sleep as soon as the lights go out. It reminds me of a more comforting time, being younger and careless, but decisive.
It can also be quite funky. "Eat That Up, It's Good For You" is fast and friendly. It's probably also one of the more lyrically memorable songs on
Tourist History, although that facet of this band is hard to come by on here. But perhaps their lyrics will grow as they do. It can get repetitive in the tempo department here, but there's really two ways to look at that: either they don't quite have enough ideas just yet, or they're being uncompromising and throwing caution to the wind. I'd like to believe it's the latter but I can't tell for sure.
Either way,
Tourist History is a fun as hell listen, nothing flashy and catchy as all get-out. They're having fun, and it seems to me that's the most important thing about them. They're proving a band doesn't have to start out their career saving the world. Just saving themselves.
