The third record from New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous had the potential to offer the guilty thrill of a gossip magazine.
Not only is it a break-up album, the Kiwi couple in question are the band’s vocalists, Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith.
Inevitably, the relationship split hangs over this release – “all the love we had is fading” sings Xayalith on Laid Low. But the overall impression is of the pair setting aside any awkwardness to knock out a serviceable synthpop album.
It’s perfectly well crafted, from the punchy chorus of Higher to the meaty throb of Falling and the bittersweet pop of The Runners. Yet the duo’s vocal dynamic rarely flickers into life.
Ultimately, it’s a hollow, entirely unremarkable record that should perhaps have been put on hold.
(Kobalt)
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