Alphabeat – I Don’t Know What’s Cool Anymore

“OOH YES it’s like the Alphabet of a decade ago”

Tim: Tom, you said yesterday that everything seemed generic, and you couldn’t mind much to write about. Turns out the music gods paid attention, because: NEW ALPHABEAT!

Tom: Crikey, between that and Mika, it’s like my university years have come back.

Tim: First thirty seconds of that, I was “hmm, it’s okay for a second track, decent funky pop, I guess I can cope”, but then the CHORUS came along, and suddenly I’m “OOH YES it’s like the Alphabet of a decade ago”.

Tom: That chorus bassline reminds me a lot of Train from 2012, too. I’m not suggesting it’s a rip-off: it’s just another touchstone that puts this, well, as not being cool any more.

Tim: It’s fun, exciting pop, proving that either they truly don’t know what’s cool any more or that they just don’t care, because this ain’t mainstream music, with its gloomy synths and weird vocal samples and genericness. No. Instead, it’s happy, energetic, upbeat, joyous, celebratory, arms flailing in the air for that drum bit at the end, wonderful music.

Tom: I was going to specifically point out that drum fill! You’re right: it’s not the sort of thing we hear much these days.

Tim: I’ll be heading to Denmark to see them in November, and right now I’m more excited about that than ever.