Melodic indie-pop minstrels The Lodger have avoided rushing into recording their debut album, the band instead deciding to rouse interest through several single releases on a variety of independent labels. First long-player "Grown Ups" is however well worth the wait, the trio continuing their well-honed knack of writing short yet sharp pop songs that take their lead from mid-nineties Britpop.Comprising a mixture of re-recorded versions of their older songs and new material, "Grown Ups" is enthused with a bouncy, invigorated spirit throughout. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a group intent on writing perfect blissed-out pop songs though; "Many Thanks For Your Honest Opinion" and "You Got Me Wrong" may be awash with bittersweet harmonies but there is a caustic lyrical undercurrent throughout that belies the initial feel good factor of the songs.
Recent gigs have seen The Lodger take to the stage against a large screen projection of 80s cult-classic Gregory's Girl, a tale concerning Scottish youngsters experiencing adolescence and getting into all sorts of wayward mischief along the way. Although the title "Grown Ups" is a kind of give away, the theme of the album seems to be one of making the transition from youth into adulthood, and the experiences of friendships, burgeoning romances and late-night escapades that come with it.
Many of the songs on "Grown Ups" showcase The Lodger's trademark of jangly, rambunctious indie-pop; recent single "Kicking Sand" flies by at just under three minutes, the refrain of "we're not superstars" underpinned by a catchy stop-start tempo. "The Story's Over" has a similar jaunty rhythm and is one of the highlights on the album. At over 6 minutes long, "Bye Bye" is a bit of a departure from the rest of the short and fast songs on the album, and demonstrates a slightly different song-writing approach. The drumming is consistently of a high quality throughout, and all the songs are executed very tightly and precisely.
"Grown Ups" is an album full of classy indie-pop numbers set against wistful and occasionally biting lyrical content. With this release The Lodger certainly aren't going to be moving out anytime soon.
Watch The Lodger live at Nation of Shopkeepers on 22nd April 2010 - info / tickets.
