There’s no getting around the fact that Canadians Mugshot are a very, very poppy prospect, but there’s something very charming about the band, who could easily match the likes of Simple Plan in the melodic stakes. I first came across this band on the BurnBurn compilation and described the band as “a heady mix of buzzing guitars and soaring vocal melodies.” That description certainly stands as there are more vocal melodies and singalong hooks here than you will find on many a record. If I did have one complaint it would be that Mugshot can be a little too sweet (‘Are We Done’ is a little Backstreet Boys-esque, for example), but in the singalong stakes you’ll be hard pressed to find much better this year.
The opening triple salvo of ‘heart vs mind’, ‘New Appreciation’ and ‘Eleven Eleven’ bring a whole new meaning to pop music. These are three very carefully crafted pop songs that could very easily grace the charts – they have huge hooks and while very definitely erring on the pop side, there’s definitely plenty of guitars going on too. Mugshot‘s secret weapon is that they use vocalist Nick Keay as a musical instrument – his lips carry each song and his distinctive vocals set the band apart from many of their peers. ‘Hostage’, for example, would not be half as good if it wasn’t for the vocal harmonies.
This record is extremely poppy and I’d only really recommend it for those who like their choruses to be huge. But it is worth listening to, even if it’s just in small doses. And while some of the tracks are a bit too saccharine sweet for my liking (‘Ready When You Are’), there are plenty of songs that will have you singing along for a long, long time.