Pop Psychology is the first album in two years from pop rockers Neon Trees. Generally, it’s a colorful album packed with feel-good sing along songs and relatable lyrics. Lyrically the album doesn’t seem concerned with navel gazing too deeply but finds the groove of modern love and mild social anxieties that plague millenials and is pretty happy to stay there.
The opening track, Love in The 21st Century, is a catchy if slightly predictable ditty about navigating romance with all the complications wrought by technological inventions and modern neuroses. Things take a turn for the better with the hopeful guitar riff of hopeful Text Me In The Morning, which harkens back to the Strokes‘ 2001 album Is This It. Sophisticated it’s not, but it puts a smile on your face – after all, you can’t be mad when a band rhymes ‘sex’ with ‘text’. Sleeping with a Friend has all the the foot stomping qualities of an instant stadium classic. Teenager in Love, with its stripped down bassline and incisive lyrics, cuts right to the heart of the matter. I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends) begins with some groovy bassline inspired vibes and a bit of cowbell but the chorus is disappointingly mundane. Unavoidable throws in a few welcome female guest vocals from Elaine Bradley to mix things up. Foolish Behavior – an ode to a magical night that forges a new relationship – is a stand out for us. The album is rounded out with First Things First, a song which is ostensibly about knowing who you are and what your limitations are, advice which Neon Trees seem to have followed themselves, as they haven’t strayed from the formula which garnered them decent results with 2012 album Picture Show and 2010’s Habits. It’s a worthy effort, but we can’t help hoping that their next album will signal a more significant musical step forward for the band.
Our favorites: Teenager in Love, Foolish Behavior