Like Cheap Trick before them, Los Angeles quintet Grouplove lead their assault with catchy choruses cranked up, blasting their melodies in your face until you can’t help but sing along. The band broke out in 2011 with radio candy like “Tongue Tied” and “Colours.” On Big Mess, Grouplove fully commit to day-glow power-pop—the percussion pounds and echoes, the keyboards are giant-marshmallow fat and sizzling electronics carbonate each song. But, for any complaints about the album’s overproduction (helmed by indie mainstay Phil Ek and Grouplove’s own Ryan Rabin), Big Mess is about as fun as pop gets nowadays. When a chorus takes off, it does so in spectacular, fireworks fashion. The rubbery bass of “Do You
Love Someone” bubbles and gurgles under singer Christian Zucconi’s verses until the whole thing explodes with the fiery guitars of a joyous, hollered chorus. Even when things slow down, Grouplove never really stop buzzing. “Spinning” is
all sunshine and beach vibes, lit up with a pulsing chorus melody and singer/keyboardist Hannah Hooper’s airy vocals. Big Mess isn’t life-changing, but it’s also not a mess—it’s the sound of a young band having fun, and hoping you will, too.