Everybody's Dying to Meet You

After a debut album that found the young London trio Flowers finding their noise pop feet, their second album, Everybody's Dying to Meet You, shows some newfound confidence along the way to becoming a marked improvement. With textbook noise pop guitar attacks balanced by peaceful interludes that allow Rachel Kenedy's ethereal vocals to float unencumbered by gravity, the basic template the band employs remains the same. This time out, though, the guitars have more crunch and the vocals are even more weightless, plus the songs are a little snappier. Where their debut sounded a little tentative in spots, songs like the rambunctious opener "Pull My Arm" and the thudding "How Do You Do" feel like the bandmembers know exactly what they are after and they don't stumble in pursuit. The best moments are those when the pounding drums and fuzzed-out guitars capture Kenedy's vocals and they all work together to create a monochromatic swirl of sound. The girl group-inspired "Bitter Pill" is one example of how good they sound when they hit this sonic sweet spot; "My Only Friend" is another. The album works well when they slow the tempo down to an ominous crawl, too; "Bathroom Sink" is a powerful noise pop ballad that sounds like Henry's Dress slowed down a speed or two. It's definitely an avenue the band could explore more in the future. As for now, on Everybody's Dying to Meet You, the trio sounds like a worthy heir to the classic noise pop sound and the genre's best bands, like Shop Assistants and Tiger Trap. ~ Tim Sendra