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Shout Out Louds’ latest album Work doesn’t feel overworked at all. Their basic, stripped down sound gives the impression of a bunch of friends just getting together and jamming. Without resorting to gimmicks or high concepts, Shout Out Louds have made an album that is easy to listen to and ultimately enjoyable.
Work represents a new stage in the evolution of their sound. Forming in Stockholm, Sweden in the early aughties, Shout Out Louds first toured with Bud Fox Recordings. The band released their debut album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff in October 2003. The release was only heard in Sweden, but after further recording, the group released a revamped American version of the same album in May 2005. The group’s first album sounded a bit rough around the edges and the lyrical content proved mostly dreary yet strangely motivating (the first track is titled “Wish I Was Dead”).
Our Ill Wills, the group’s next album, offered a more polished sound with the same lyrical content. For some reason, however, the disc sounded bleaker. Their sophomore effort earned the same praise as the first, but may not be as cherished.
Work offers a combination of the best of both discs. It offers some of the fun that the band’s first album offered while moving forward musically with a more refined sound. The sound isn’t too radical, it just seems like the logical next step in the band’s evolution.
With a handful of instruments to work with (guitars, bass, vocals, drums and piano) the group blends them together masterfully. No instrument outdoes any other: They all push along together at the same pace and tempo. The grooves don’t feel out of place or forced, nor are they abrasive. This harmony is heard on “Throwing Stones” and “Fall Hard.” There isn’t a track that falters on the album. Every song fits together.
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