Love Notes/Letter Bombs by The Submarines is indie pop filtered through pop punk filtered through the Los Angeles sun. One immediately gets a sense of fun buried in smog. The bass hits hard, and the keyboards are thrilling. I’m reminded of Mates of State, Viva Voice, and other bands anchored by husband/wife duos.
The first two tracks are mid-tempo numbers focusing on the subjects of love and loss. Its weird mix of ’80′s new wave somehow made new. It’s all very interesting. Track three, “Ivaloo” is where things get things interesting. The song begins with a ukulele and handclaps before the female vocals come out. Shortly, after that the male vocals respond. It’s kind of an argument in song, which is fun.
After that we have another highlight, “The Sun Shines At Night”. This is happy, sugary stuff but it’s pretty infectious. “We’re in love and it feels alright” goes the chorus, and you can’t help but get swept along. I’d usually hate this kind of thing, but it’s so goddamn joyous I can’t help myself.
The album ends with “Anymore”, which might be the best thing here. The song clicks and bleeps as Blake Hazard sings about love and jealousy. The album is best when she takes the lead, as this song proves.
Despite the fact that The Submarines sound like a lot of other bands, they have an originality that I respect. When I first this record on, I thought it was more of the same but it grew on me pretty fast. There is something exciting about this band that I can’t quite put my finger on. If you’re a fan of indie pop, you’ll dig this.
Track listing:
1. Shoelaces
2. Fire
3. Ivaloo
4. The Sun Shines At Night
5. Birds
6. Tigers
7. Where You Are
8. Plans
9. A Satellite, Stars and An Ocean Behind You
10. Anymore
