Two Door Cinema Club – Keep On Smiling

Two Door Cinema Club have been a mainstay on the UK Indie scene for over a decade: with their distinctive guitar sound and infectious beats, the group have earnt a dedicated following and are a frequent presence at many summer festivals. Following a shift in direction on their last album in 2019, the group return with their fifth LP Keep on Smiling, a record that is sure to make their fans do just that with infectious beats and groove and forays into both the new and familiar.

The new release feels like a celebration of Two Door Cinema Club’s sound while showing they still have a point to prove and further sonic avenues to explore. It opens with a pounding instrumental, a departure from their usual style and a sign of some of the risks set to be taken. Everybody’s Cool is a funk-infused number that’s bound to get fans grooving at gigs, while Blue Light feels more akin to 2019’s False Alarm, with its drum and electronic-driven beat alongside characteristic guitars.

Lucky is a more uptempo track that showcases Alex Trimble’s vocal range and the variety in the band’s repertoire. Little Piggy is more aggressive, playing around with distortion and is one of the poppier tracks on the record, combining more synths and electronic ambiences than some of their previous work.

It’s this fusion of indie, electronica and pop that helps Keep on Smiling feel like such an exciting collection of songs and prove that Two Door Cinema Club still have plenty of life in them yet. Millionaire continues the more electronic, synth-based sound in fine fashion, making use of vocal samples. High contrasts this with a slower, more stripped-back sensibility.

Wonderful Life almost ditches the group’s indie vibe altogether for an out-and-out pop belter. While fans might not gel with it on first listen, this is an infectious feel-good song that will surely become a live favourite. Feeling Strange has a 70s disco sheen running through it with shimmering guitars and is a strong track for underlining what makes the band work so well. Won’t Do Nothing has an irresistible beat with its bass opening.

Keep on Smiling is a feel-good record through and through, showing a band at the top of its game and is sure to give the Northern Ireland trio’s fans plenty to enjoy. It boasts a return to their first three records while incorporating elements of the more progressive False Alarm and shows a change in tempo at points to demonstrate the group are far from content to simply rest on their laurels, delivering an exciting album of both expected sounds and shades of experimentation, particularly through flourishes of disco and electronic music. One can only hope the group continue in this vein and stand out from the crowded Indie scene.

Christopher Connor
Photo: Katy Cummings

Keep on Smiling is released on 2^nd September 2022. For further information or to order the album visit Two Door Cinema Club’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Everybody’s Cool here: