Album Review: !!! - THR!!!ER

!!! have always flirted with greatness more than embodied it. Their 2008 Myth Takes stands out as being their finest work, with 2010's so-so Strange Weather, Isn't It? had them moving into even more accessible and safe territory. In essentially naming their album after Michael Jackson's Thriller, the dance punks have given themselves big shoes to fill.

The sneering, punk rock attitude of their earliest work, which had been increasingly absent over the years, is now more than dead and gone. The polished funk and nu disco vibes of Get That Rhythm Right exemplify the album's sonic approach –  it's fun and playful with an always present hint of something more serious in the lyrics. Take the couplet, “I'd rather worry about my existential crisis / Laying on a beach where the sunset's the nicest”. The album is full of this kind of lyric work and if you buy into it, you'll surely be smirking along with the band.

Standout tracks Fine Fine Fine and lead single Slyd boost up the bass and electronica ideas the band always enjoy playing with. Slyd in fact, recalls an early '90s Primal Scream which, unfortunately, is one of the best compliments the album could hope for.

In a way, !!! can be seen as having been moving towards THR!!!ER their whole career; at the very least, the record is certainly their most studied and professional. The songs, which are easily the band's classiest in terms of pop structure, move with danceable beats and buzz and crackle with truly immaculate production. Typically though, the album is lost in its own moments. There's very little wrong here, it's just not going to leave a lasting impression on any but the most devote fans.