Los Campesinos – Romance is Boring

Indie-Pop-Band Los Campesinos! are screaming their heartaches away with their new album, Romance Is Boring.

The title of the LP, released in February, indicates the direction they are going. There were only eight months between their first two albums. With Romance Is Boring, the band took their time but they haven’t really developed and still sound like the experimental, hyperactive Indie-Folk-Kids of their debut, Hold On Now, Youngsters.

Rumbling and melodic songs go together with instrumental opulence and vocals in which every band-member participates. Unfortunately, with seven members this also leads to overcooked songs. Sometimes you just want to ask them to omit one or two layers or singers.

For example, the agitated verses of (PLAN A) could cause headaches. The band bawls their plans for the future at the listener among screeching guitar-sounds. To its credit, the 15-song album never gets boring; the mood does vary on each song. At one moment, punk-style guitar-yelling dashes towards you, at the next they loose themselves in elaborate, pensive instrumental arrangements.

As early as last year, the Cardiff-based “farmers” announced that the album would tackle “death, decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdowns and football”, however the Campesinos are a little too eager to express these personal lyrics collectively. The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future, perhaps the strongest track on the record, appears quite contemplative and suggests that everything could sound totally different on the next album.

This band certainly has potential but it may take a bit longer time to see it in full swing.

Rating: 3/5