Review Summary: More fun than berating defenseless Sputnik users.
Zazz: the quality of standing out through a distinct, fun, demeanor and a lovable attitude; also can be defined as the essence of coolness. In the imaginary dictionary in my head I oft refer to, there’s now a picture of that DIY cover for Grown Ups’
Songs next to the definition.
Songs is just teeming with zazz.
Songs is such an immediately likable EP and incredibly easy to listen to, it baffles me how little-known they are. Then again, there’s a multitude of things in today’s state of music that baffle me- like obsession over singles for instance. Ignore me, that’ s neither here nor there. Grown Ups strewn
Songs with enough zazz to sink a ship. The infectious emo is complemented with catchy hooks and occasional gang vocals that only make this easier to love. At times Grown Ups seem almost too DIY for their own good. The kitsch album art is a big factor in this, as is the original name of the EP, Songs. When it comes down to it though, Grown Ups are like the new puppy that chews up your favorite pair of socks, they’re just
too easy to forgive.
Grown Ups aren’t the only ones... 2009 saw an influx of catchy emo bands that seemingly don’t take their music very seriously.
Adorno and
Joie de Vivre pulled off this aesthetic quite successfully, but it seemed to be Snowing that garnered the most attention for this particular attitude. Can I make a proposal? Nothing against Snowing, but can we take that sizable amount of awareness and respectfully distribute it to Grown Ups’ little release here instead?
Songs is superb in the sense that it fulfills everything I look for in an emo release based around fun. Reminiscent of good times? Check. Teensy breath-taking moments? Check. One song that I feel like I can listen to for hours on end? Check (“Surprise Party”). Granted,
Songs’ short length doesn’t blow me away, but Grown Ups is able to make up for this because every song is so lovable it’s easy to go right back to “Surprise Party” after “Three Day Weekend” trails off. I’m not promising anything groundbreaking here, Grown Ups simply rehash a tried-and-true style. Though, I am promising an immediately lovable set of 4 short and sweet songs with a near-infinite amount of zazz.
