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Retro Surf Rock Harmonies

Think Jesus and Mary Chain with a bitter, sugar-coated kiss and you’re half way there to imagining US trio Brooklyn girls unique sound. ‘Everything Goes Wrong’ follows up the girls’ 2009 debut with plenty of shimmery surf rock and fuzzy guitar riffs that mix mellow and laid back with punchy.

Vivian Girls are the masters, or mistresses of short and snappy bursts of lithe, electric pop rock; here they engineer multi-layered tunes that really wrap you in psychedelic cotton wool, however whereas most bands producing similar sounds pride themselves in long and experimental tunes, Vivian Girls achieve the same effect in under 3 minutes - ‘Tension’ is probably the best example of this. Sometimes the cloudy and colourful sound lets you relax just a little too much, but the rapid nature of the album and frantic playing will soon alert you to the next little gem hitting your stereo.

It’s only with the teenage pop lyrics of ‘Can’t Get Over You’ that you remember that this band isn’t your conventional shoegaze affair, which is probably what makes their music so interesting. The music often sounds DIY and a little rough round the edges with the percussion crashing along with more respect for passion than split second timing, but again, it’s another plus in this context.

The brisk nature of the album makes it a sure grower as it’s hard to appreciate the merit of each tune on a swift first listen, but you soon begin to discover their charms: the unhinged guitar solo at the end of ‘Out for the Sun’, the feisty vocal harmonies of ‘Double Visions’ and the cute “woohs” of ‘Can’t Get Over You’.

‘Everything Goes Wrong’ is packed with lovely tunes, but it occasionally feels more like an exercise in how to use effects pedals and create retro harmonies than a collection of individual songs and it can be an overwhelming first listen as all the songs are bathed in the same mixture of reverb and harmonies. Persevere and you’ll love it though.