Following the release of Tourist History in 2010, Two Door Cinema Club’s infectious hooks were everywhere. Their debut spawned singles which soundtracked FIFA 13 and episodes of The Vampire Diaries and The Inbetweeners, along with almost every advertisement shown on television for a number of years.
A decade later, the trio continue to blast out big melodies and catchy choruses on False Alarm. Their fourth record, a synth-heavy collection of songs indebted to 1980s pop-rock, was produced with long-time collaborator Jacknife Lee, whose clientele includes U2, REM and The Killers.
However, it’s the tonal idiosyncracies woven throughout False Alarm’s tapestry that are most striking. The grooves of Once, Talk and So Many People sound as though they could have appeared on Ti Amo, the 2017 record from the French art-rock ensemble Phoenix. Elsewhere, closer Already Gone taps into a Tame Impala soundscape, with vocalist Alex Trimble adopting a Kevin Parker-like falsetto delivery.
While these songs are in keeping with their previous release, 2016’s Gameshow, this is a completely transformed band. What remains is a strong aptitude to produce undeniably strong, radio-ready singles.
