Photo by:
Romance is Boring by Welsh indie-pop band Los Campesinos! is anything but boring.
Released last week, the group’s third album firmly shows they are a band to take seriously.
Formed at Cardiff University in 2006, the seven-piece group released their debut album Hold on Now, Youngster… in February 2008.
Rather than falling victim to the sophomore slump, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed was quickly released in October of that same year.
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed has been well received and included the favorite, “You! Me! Dancing!.”
Comprised of 14 tracks, Romance is a mix of so many different elements and styles; it is hard to describe the album.
Lyrically, the Los Campesinos! paints interesting and at times raunchy pictures with lines like “more post-coital and less post-rock,” from the seventh track, “Straight in at 101.”
At times, the group sounds less like British-Indie kids and more like revolutionaries with the entire group screaming along to songs like “This is a Flag, There is No Wind,” and “Coda: A Burn in the Shape of the Sooner State.”
Tackling a variety of subject matter from tongue-in-cheek mentions of drunken hook ups, like in “In Media Res,” to angry girls suffering from eating disorders and teenage angst, like in “The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future.”
Title track “Romance is Boring” started out strong with a gritty guitar lick setting the pace.
It has a modern if somewhat cynical take on love.
One slightly jarring trend is that the group tends to start and end songs very abruptly, as if they were just passing thoughts.
However, this mixed-gender band is witty and cheeky. Constantly blogging on their website, loscampesinos.com, they communicate constantly with fans and each member showcases their various, if eccentric, personalities.
Besides playing regular gigs, the group also plays smaller, in-store gigs at UK stores like Rough Trade East, a true hipster music store located in London.
These gigs present a unique opportunity for the band to promote their albums and connect with fans.
To hear more music check out their Myspace page.
