ARTIST: Neon Trees
ALBUM: Pop Psychology
LABEL: Mercury, Island
RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2014
Keep it Poppin’
Written by Silas Valentino
I’ve got to hand it to Neon Trees. This Provo, Utah mob of Mormons can write dance pop—and write it well. Pop Psychology, their third record, is a 40-minute Neapolitan shake filled with stadium-ready choruses, back beat bangers and Technicolor flare. Neon Trees lit up after their 2011 hit single “Everybody Talks” and that momentum propels Pop Psychology into dancehall credibility. Songwriter Tyler Glenn spills his heart and soul in the album’s lyrics while the music moves fast, drenched in its own pop sweat.
Opening the album is “Love in the 21st Century” which acts as a template for the rest of the record. Beginning with some dominant drums and crisp guitar riff, “Love in the 21st Century” sounds like the scene in the high school movie where the picked-on protagonist strikes back.
This spirit of personal pride and acceptance is prevalent throughout Pop Psychology, due to Glenn’s recent announcement that he’s gay. For most of his adult life Glenn hid his true self but after obtaining rock start status, he can finally express himself honestly. It’s the raw emotion that makes Pop Psychology an excellent pop record—that and some irresistibly catchy pop songs.
Lead single, and undeniable album highlight, “Sleeping with a Friend” starts off like the intro to an advertisement on Spotify. Not because it’s corny or weak, but because it’s a perfectly calculated song that seeps into your ear lobes and sets up shop. The verses are lead by a throbbing synthesizer riff and by the time the “I said ooh, you got me in the mood” chorus hook chimes in you’ve already surrendered your musical control. So many love songs are written from the Hallmark Card perspective but “Sleeping with a Friend” dares to challenge the formula by highlighting those awkward, yet common friends-with-benefits relationships.
The first five tracks of the album play out like an everlasting party but on “Unavoidable,” the tempo and mood shift to a slower, ballad feel. Glenn and drummer Elaine Bradley share vocal duties on the track and their duet works swimmingly as they sing about finding love in this modern technological age.
Final track “American Zero” has two computer-voice breakdowns and if you listen closely, you can hear remnants of “My Sharona” from the Knack. The biggest kick comes in at the 2:22 mark where some SNL-style saxophone comes blazing in and finished off the record.
Through the huge success of their earlier singles, Neon Trees served as openers for some major pop acts from three separate decades. They’ve toured with Duran Duran, The Killers and Taylor Swift, and their influences are scattered in Pop Psychology. The simple yet engaging lyrics a la Taylor Swift can be heard on “Unavoidable” with “It never makes much sense to me / But that’s okay / It’s like my love hate relationship with L.A.” And the wide-eyed glamour of Duran Duran and The Killers sizzle the first side of the album.
Wrestling with the fallacies of fame can break a band before they even reach their largest stage. “Everybody Talks” could have been a Judas kiss for Neon Trees but instead, as heard in Pop Psychology, they prove that the dancing isn’t even close to being done.