The Little Lovers - TheLittle Lovers

Thu 15th Sep, 2005 in Music Reviews

The general rule is that bands trying to be funny kind of suck a little bit.  Many of us tend to get a little self-righteous and are all ‘Yeah, um, who do you think you are, trying to make me laugh?’  But in our defence, many of these bands are one-hit wonders or just terrible and really annoying.

I slipped The Little Lovers disc into my player and was unsure what to expect.  I’d never heard of them before, but the opening drum beat sounded, my feet began tapping and my shoulders shimmied and shook.

They want to make you dance, have fun and they succeed, with guitar riffs, bass lines and drum beats that get under your skin and make you want to get up and dance like a maniac…I know I did.  My moves were pretty incredible. 

The Little Lovers is a three piece from Brisbane.  This is its debut EP – four tracks that left me wanting more, yet satisfied that I was spared the torture of filler songs.  I imagine these guys might be pretty fun to see live.

‘Whatever happened to listening to pop songs?’ sings The Little Lovers’ charismatic front man Wintah Thompson on the self-titled opening track.

It’s a valid question.  I’m not sure what happened to listening to pop songs.  I think it might have to do with the crap that has taken over our airwaves, but if more pop music were like The Little Lovers quirky indie pop/rock, I’d be listening to it a lot more often.

The Little Lovers don’t take themselves too seriously.  They want to make you laugh without being obnoxious or cutesy.  Thompson claims in the infectious Sharp Shooters ”...all the boys will be kissing one another.” and makes fun of the hipsters in Cheeky Chaps  ’...with their cool haircuts and their stripy shirts, they get all the girls in the short mini skirts.’

Before declaring:

‘Hey, hey Franz Ferdinand, all the kids love you in all the land!’

The second track Red Devil begins with Thompson yelling ‘Hey look! There’s the devil.’ and proceeds to give us his best rock and roll roar, of course.  I wouldn’t expect any less.  By the sounds heard in momentary lapses of music, it seems as though there were shenanigans a plenty during its making.

Similarities to Dave McCormack and fellow Brisvegas players Custard are noticeable in most songs and when the manic chorus of Red Devil begins,

‘I think you’ve taken too many drugs – all the speed, the E and the LSD.’

I’m reminded of Tilly and the Wall’s heavier songs.

Less is more for The Little Lovers, they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they certainly know how to write infectious, quirky pop songs.

Like Franz Ferdinand’s mission statement, I think The Little Lovers have made a record that will have lots of girls dancing.