Review Summary: Though there are bumps in the road, the Studio Killers debut brings a solid round of well-produced and enjoyable electro-pop.
Two years ago in the middle of May, a single surfaced. The first single out of an animated band made up of a rather provocative plump girl and a small assortment of talking musically talented animals you would find at your local zoo. Ode To The Bouncer was just what its title suggests, and the club single charted in various eastern European countries. Over the next two years, the virtual band gained a respectable following over the internet, and it’s all built up to this.
Studio Killers.
Led by vocalist Teemu Brunila (as Chubby Cherry), the album opens with the aforementioned single, mixing spoken word and synthesizers over a chorus that slides Cherry’s voice across a good portion of the song. This is a recurring theme that pops up in other songs throughout the album. Admittedly, most of the songs follow this blueprint with ooh-oohs and la-las in every song. Synths surround and invade everything and big choruses pop up every now and then. There is a noticeable eighties influence abound - “Who Is In Your Heart Now” wouldn’t be out of place on an eighties mixtape.
Simply put, Studio Killers is harmless, fun electro-pop. It’s got all the makings of a electronic album and doesn’t take itself too seriously, either. Closer “True Colours” is the closest thing to a ballad here, and it’s enough to warrant a bit of respect. The lyrical content is that of the average pop album - love and clubbing. Although there is a one-off, “All Men Are Pigs” which seems to accurately describe the insides of the average club while advocating feminism at the same time. But if there was one song that would accurately describe Studio Killers, it would be “Eros and Apollo”. All of the elements of the rest of the album are found here and I say without dignity it has become my favorite. The chorus made up of synthesizers and that airy voice, the witty verses, a driving beat, and a tune that will get stuck in your head.
But the album isn’t without its flaws. Flawless is three minutes of filler that feels like it’s leading into a huge dubstep breakdown, but all we get is lost in some sort of eighties montage. In Tokyo takes the spoken-word too far, and leaves much to be desired lyrically and sonically. The drawn out notes sprinkled throughout the tracks come off as grating, but only for a quick moment.
The Studio Killers won’t appeal to everyone. Once again, it is harmless, fun electro-pop. But at times it can be really fun. Quite honestly, that’s all it really knows what to be. And when it tries to be anything other than conventional the product feels distorted and diluted. The Studio Killers have a lot of potential and it’s not all riding on their music. The persona's that are the Studio Killers are just as bouncy as the tracks they make and it’s probably a long shot, but they could manage to reach a Gorillaz level of notoriety. Maybe I’m giving it too much credit, and maybe I’m just hoping for too much but for a debut, I’m impressed.
