The third album from these Liverpool indie poppers brims with a kind of nervy and cautious optimism, which makes sense because they penned the album from an L.A. viewpoint, mixing in what the band call that city’s overriding sense of “anxiety and opulence.” Such themes hit home on “Give Me a Try,” where singer Matthew Murphy intones “We could be gigantic” atop a giant dancefloor hook that would’ve done Erasure proud. Things get tender on “Isabel,” and the hooks absolute kill on the synth-pop bomb “This Is Not a Party.” It’s a sweet collection of starry-eyed gems, fat choruses, and witty observations.
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