aaamusic | On 05, Nov 2012

I’m never sure whether to trust any band that actively refers themselves as a “Pop group”. I mean, I know that any band that plays music and appeals to a wide variety of people is technically a “Pop group” but to me, the phrase seems to be solely used as a term of snide derision by people much too clever to be trifled by music made after the turn of the twentieth century. While I’ve learned not to hold blanket grudges against statements that I personally disagree with, Autoheart aren’t doing the greatest job in the world at convincing me that I’m wrong. Control is a slightly lifeless wisp of a pop song that pleasantly wafts by without doing much to stick in one’s memory, while I’m all for subtlety, I do like being able to hum some of the song after the first time I’ve listened to it, as opposed to the fourth. It’s not outright bad per se, singer Jody Gadsden has a voice that could be great if it wasn’t so annoyingly mannered and it doesn’t really sound like anything else out there, but some edge and a tune would be nice, they’re never not.

★★★★★

Will Howard