3.5/5 stars
If you were expecting something more ‘mature’ or ‘refined’ from Tokyo Police Club in 2014 – don’t. The indie-pop band hasn’t made the same musical leaps and bounds as, for instance, Foals, but have remained incredibly comfortable with their sound. Not just comfortable – nostalgic, like, 2004 nostalgic.
Many of the tracks could come straight out of The OC soundtrack, possibly Gossip Girl’s. Maybe not in a momentous kissing scene à la Ryan and Marissa at New Year’s, but definitely for a landscape montage of Newport Beach. Packed with the chill and predictable guitar riffs we all love, Forcefield starts off with what are arguably the three best songs put into one eight-minute track. ‘Argentina’ (Parts I, II and III) is not some endless prog-rock build-up, but rather three separate tracks one after the other. The longest song by Tokyo Police Club, for comparison, is a paltry four minutes, so there’s absolutely no danger of being struck by mid-song malaise.
If there were to be a song which showed the most development by the band, it would be ‘Beaches’. A more sophisticated bass line opens up the song with clean synth throughout – it’s a nice refresher cleverly put midway through the album. Forcefield’s single, ‘Hot Tonight’, is the quintessential Canadian boy-band song that you’d be looking for in an album like this. Lyrics about drinking in the park, staring at the stars, and everything else you remember from being 14.
Overall, don’t expect anything grand or groundbreaking – but for a feel-good album that stands out in the sea of bedroom producers, for an album you know you’re going to smile at a little cringefully during parts, Forcefield is worth a listen.