Thieves Like Us : 'Play Music'
Having had a few releases out on Kitsune over the last few years, namely “Drugs In My Body” and the “Drugs In My Body” remix EP (featuring a particularly fine effort from Designer Drugs, West Coast electro boys from the US), we are finally treated to a full album on Seayou Records.
The first thing that stands out on picking up the album is a full set of lyrics for every track printed on the sleeve. Not the usual state of affairs for a house troupe. But herein lies the problem, despite the house-based nature of “Drugs In My Body”, Thieves Like Us are, at heart, a simple pop act.
I can not quite put my finger on it, but there is something about this album that strikes me as quite strange, maybe it is the fact that I think of them as a fairly upbeat bunch of house producers back from 2006 when I first heard “Drugs…”, but a lot of the record is held down with more ambient and down-tempo tracks that have a distinctly lovelorn and almost lonely feel to them. Perhaps stemming form the fact that the band have been living apart in various corners of the globe over the last few years and recorded the album in Berlin, London, Stockholm and New York!
Opening with the distinctly electronica based “Program Of The First Part” and moving through afore mentioned old single, “Drugs In My Body”, we get to the lovely, upbeat electronic pop of “Fass” and the laid back groove of “An Easy Tonight” before “Lady” brings the first half of the record to a relatively gentle conclusion.
The second half of “Play Music” opens with the appropriately titled “Program Of The Second Part”, takes us, in part, through the somewhat more lovelorn parts of the album. With titles such as "Your Heart Feels”, "Miss You”, and “Desire” you start to worry what might have happened to these young gentlemen over the last few years? Whatever it may have been, it has, however, created a downbeat album of nicely crafted pop songs that comes across almost like a slightly less clinical Junior Boys that certainly rewards the repeat listener. One for late nights, dark rooms and quite specific company.
Words: James Hoste
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