Words by Vicki

If the name didn’t already give it away, Grouplove is a happy, hippie band. The duo of Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi met in New York in 2009, and traveled together to an artists’ residency program on the Isle of Crete. While there, they met the other three members of the band (Sean Gadd, Ryan Rabin, and Andrew Wessen) and enjoyed their own personal Bon Iver cabin-in-the-woods moment, secluded away from friends and family with music creation the only item on their agenda. They emerged with a bundle of songs, headed home, and set about recording what they’d written. The result is a self-titled EP, and recently, their first full-length album, Never Trust a Happy Song. But I said Grouplove were happy hippies, right? Indeed, the album title is completely misleading, and it’s one of the most energetic, fun-filled releases of the year.

Grouplove / Itchin’ On a Photograph
Grouplove / Tongue Tied
Grouplove / Lovely Cup

To enjoy Grouplove, you gotta let go, have a little fun, and try not to be put off by the assault of youth that hits you as soon as Zucconi opens his mouth. The band might be just kids, but they quickly prove they can craft a pop song with the best of them. Opening track “Itchin’ on a Photograph” manages to wait almost a full minute before unleashing into a high-energy chorus, but standout “Tongue Tied” can only make it about 15 seconds before cascading into a wave of sound reminiscent of Matt & Kim. It’s a blast of unabashed joy and is so infectious, I dare you to listen to the song without bopping along. The band is positively overflowing with happiness; my brother classified them as “almost irritatingly bright.” But “almost” is key—while they do flirt with going overboard, they rein it in enough so that it just barely manages to avoid being over-the top.

Grouplove / “Colours” / Grouplove EP [Canvasback, 2010] / dir. Jordan Bahat

 
It’s hard not to like Grouplove; they seem to be practically begging their listeners to sing along. Many of the band’s songs are built with this in mind, picking up momentum as the chorus nears, until the whole band joins into the chorus. In “Lovely Cup,” Hooper and Zucchoni sing to each other in a catchy call-and-response, and in “Colours,” the song escalates to all-out screaming. Though they’ve only been together about a year and a half, the band knows how to get the listener hooked. The abundance of potential is evident on “Never Trust a Happy Song,” and it’ll be exciting to see where the band goes next.

Grouplove on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Insound

Filed under: New to Us, New to You?, Not Blake, Jim, or Brendan