Audio By Carbonatix
Wales seven-piece Los Campesinos! jam-pack about as much youthful exuberance as you can imagine into their shambling indie rock. Shouting more than singing over the rest of his band, frontman Gareth Campesinos helped characterize the brash, playful demeanor of their debut, Hold on Now, Youngster, with his clever, snarling vocals, which were transformed into jubilant sing-alongs at virtually every opportunity.
Barely six months later came We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, which followed the now-familiar path of the “dark” sophomore album; while the rest of his Campesinos! remained as frantic as ever, Gareth slipped into a self-absorbed, world-weary funk, the combination making for a desperate-sounding state of affairs.
Three years on from their initial, sunny blast into stardom, the band cut down on shouting and wordplay on Romance Is Boring while smoothing out the edges of their signature sound. Rest assured, though: These Brits haven’t grown up so much as they’ve learned to pace themselves.
