:: Scouting For Girls - Scouting For Girls

Scouting For Girls

According to just about all media coverage it has received, Scouting For Girls’ self-titled debut has been something of a second coming in the British indie-rock scene thanks to its breakout singles She’s So Lovely and Elvis Ain’t Dead. Upon its release in the UK earlier this year, the album not only went platinum but managed to reach number one – an incredible feat considering the whole thing sounds like it was thrown together in under a day… And not in a good way either. While it’s a given that just about every band belonging to the garage/indie-rock scene prides itself on its raw and immediate sensibilities, this should also never be an excuse for unoriginality and an anything-goes attitude. Australia’s own indie champions The Grates serve as a good case in point whereby they manage to maintain their immediacy but craft some of the catchiest, most interesting little tunes that would take lesser bands months to construct. Scouting For Girls should take note from the Aussie trio that if you’re going to write a bunch of lighthearted, unchallenging tunes tailor-made for a sun-kissed Sunday afternoon stroll down the park, the least you can do is ensure the listener will be able to distinguish between them. And that’s the biggest concern about this album which is essentially ten variations of the same track – one after the other, the songs shamelessly maintain the same rhythm and tempo in hope, it seems, that nobody will notice. Likewise, the words may be different per song, but the theme and dilemma of vocalist Roy Stride is on repeat, not helped in the least by the lack of any lyrical wit or interest whatsoever (“She’s a strawberry milkshake/She’s sweet as a peach” – The Airplane Song). Again, ooey-gooey, sugar-shot song-words aren’t necessarily a deal-breaker if the tunes that back them up are top-notch – but, alas, no, as Scouting For Girls trundle off into blandness with the only progression found here being from annoying to completely forgettable. It’s all cheery, naïve, and sweet-hearted but it’s also quite clearly designed for the under-14s and those stoned stupid… Right?