Tim: Right then, that’s Christmas done. But let’s stay vaguely merry for the time being with a nice tale of worldwide co-operation. Remember these guys from back in March? Without going into all the details again, we’ve a Brit, a German, an Italian, a Swede and a, um, Netherlandian.
Tom: Turns out there isn’t a decent singular demonym for Dutch folks. Who knew?
Tim: Boyband dance pop, let’s have it.
Tom: Crikey. Let’s have it, indeed. That’s really good.
Tim: This is a band with money behind it, and that shows. This is a track with good backing from a producer who knows what he’s doing, the video’s got comic book panels and lens flare and all that, and they can do the singing they need to. The same criticisms from last time still apply, mind: it’s a tad generic, could easily be solo material, and it’s not particularly memorable, but while it’s on it’s very enjoyable, and one big hit could well bring these lot to the front.
Tom: I found myself tapping my feet along on the first listen through, which is rare for me: and I think that was due to the production, not the band. “So wicked” is actually a terrible lyric — and that odd sample of it in the middle eight doesn’t matter — but the rest of it is so good I didn’t really mind.
Tim: Inevitable ‘up and coming boyband’ comparison: The Fooo, who somehow don’t have quite the same level of, well, I’m not sure really, but something anyway. Basically, these guys seems like a proper boyband just waiting for one track to become huge, whereas The Fooo just seem content wandering around, putting tracks out there every now and again until they find something that works. If you want to go on about artistic integrity and stuff, The United probably wouldn’t come out on top; if you want to go on about tracks that are properly produced and very enjoyable to listen to, though, then this is where it’s at.