aaamusic | On 11, Mar 2012

Hmm, it’s getting a little jangly in here tonight. Toy Horses’ new single, ‘Play What You Want’ is a whimsical, playful yet introspective little pop number constructed from clean and melodic guitars, a chipper piano, gentle yet energetic drums, and some rather lovely and appealingly human-sounding vocals, with The Beatles’ influence emanating from every note. It’s the same mix of upbeat guitar tones, bittersweet melodies, and a sporadic hit of something a little more spiky in the lightly distorted chords towards the end. The raw yet vulnerable vocals blend and harmonise and overlap with a massive amount of charm, and as the song trundles along with a surprising momentum, it goes from “quirky” to bouncy to oddly compelling. It’s almost unbearably sunny and if nothing else puts me in mind of a scenario where someone cloned Frank Turner multiple times, dressed him(s?) up as a clean-cut 50s/60s pop group, and cut a number 1 hit single. As an individual, this makes me want to crawl away and hide in a corner until it stops, but as a music journalist I must be objective and realise that actually this is a very, very well-written pop song that has an immense crossover appeal, with something for fans of indie, folk-pop, retro pop, and generally everything that falls in between. So I hold up my hands in surrender: Toy Horses, ‘Play What You Want’ is a charming, soft, timeless affair with absolutely no reason to doubt it will be found on everyone and their dog’s spring/summer 2012 playlist for hazy days and smiling romances. Now can I leave please? All this overly heart-on-sleeve saccharine breeziness is distressing me.

 

Katie H-Halinski