Whereas
the Beatles,
Bowie, or
Nirvana used to provide the main inspiration for British guitar bands, lately it appears that the previously unfashionable prog rock of
ELO,
Sparks, and
Supertramp have taken their place instead. Indeed, the likes of
the Feeling,
the Hoosiers, and
Scouting for Girls all appeared to have raided their parents' record collections to form a surprisingly burgeoning music scene which Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe ambiguously describes as yacht rock. London duo Nick Ingram and
Mike Kintish, aka
the Yeah You's, are the latest act to get in on the trend, with the soaring boy band harmonies and glossy acoustic pop of debut album
Looking Through You unlikely to lead to confusion with their
Karen O-fronted similar namesakes. Produced by
Greg Wells (
Boyzone,
Katy Perry), its 12 hook-laden tracks are full of stadium sized-choruses, twinkling piano chords, and infectious, singalong lyrics, as on the opener "15 Minutes," a rather unfortunate self-prophetic tale of the fleetingness of fame, and the uplifting MOR of "Getting Up with You." In addition to their obvious '70s influences, they also tackle
Take That-esque anthemic pop/rock ("Carry Me Home"), summery cod-reggae ("Won't Be Long"), and
Pet Shop Boys-style electro ("Ready to Love Again") all with a thoroughly cheerful disposition that makes
Miley Cyrus sound like
Nick Cave. Indeed, only the melancholic
Keane-ish balladry of "If I Only Said Hello" and "It's Happening to Me" offer any respite from its ever-present happy-go-lucky nature. However, as relentlessly upbeat as it is, it's a much more inventive and interesting affair than the likes of
Scouting for Girls' stodgy pop/rock by numbers or
the Hoosiers' falsetto-led irksome debut, while its impossibly catchy melodies should, in theory, have spawned several chart-topping singles. Fans of doom-laden misery should steer well clear, but for those who have no aversion to music overloaded with optimism and bombastic pop production,
Looking Through You is the most consistently impressive effort of its kind. ~ Jon O'Brien