★★★☆☆
Three stars
Despite the calmness of their band name, Peace exploded onto the music scene. Debut album In Love (2013) came with the delicious happiness of ‘Bloodshake’ and the startling beauty of ‘California Daze’. Critical acclaim flooded in, sweeping the band away in a swell of paisley shirts and jangling guitars. Two years later, and the Worcester boys are back with Happy People. But is that the state of mind you are left in after listening to the longawaited return of the indie-rockers?
Initially, it would seem so. Opener ‘O You’ twangs in a delightfully different manner. It retains the swaying swagger of earlier tracks, but re-edifices their sound just enough to make worthwhile listening. ‘Someday’ is an Oasis-like ballad about a failed romance which is so simple it is endearing. The funk on lead single ‘Money’ meanders through your ears, the hook lingering in your mind, although the lyrics are not particularly innovative.
But this is the album’s main problem. It treads water in seas already much explored and passed through. Instead of sailing to new sounds, Peace have chosen to lay anchor in the areas in which they are most comfortable. True, the album prompts you to dance, but only using steps that are all too familiar and which could become dangerously repetitive. If they don’t find some new moves soon, the once happy people could soon vacate their dance-floor.
