We Are Your Friends

by Tim DiGravinaWe Are Your Friends is the sound of Simian going pop in a grand way. Gone are the slow-burning psychedelic experiments of Chemistry Is What We Are. In their place are 12 endlessly energetic, sugary, and hook-filled sonic confections. Lightening the mood and incorporating musical influences from glitchy electronica to Top 40 R&B to funk, the U.K. foursome focus on all-out listening pleasure here rather than the moody abstraction of their debut. If they seemed like Britain's answer to Elephant 6 in the past, here they've become ace pop recyclers, coming off like a mad cross between the Beatles, Phoenix, Gary Numan, Sloan, the Neptunes, and Space as produced by Phil Spector. A majority of the songs hover around the three-minute mark, as insanely catchy melodies, choruses, and harmonies hit their points and then unfold into new delights. The album as a whole is far deeper than the pop hooks that brilliantly litter its fuzzy, frazzled surface. Highlights abound, but the stunning brain-bender "Never Be Alone," the fuzzed-out John Lennon-esque stormer "LA Breeze," the glitchy funk-fest "In Between," the '60s circus stomper "The Way I Live," and the effervescent bells-and-percussion masterpiece "When I Go" would all be hit singles in a perfect world. As there's no let up in the madcap atmosphere, some listeners might be overwhelmed by the album's festive air. But that's hardly something to complain about. Fans of any of the above-mentioned bands or genres will revel in Simian's new direction. We Are Your Friends is a truly twisted masterpiece that offers new rewards with each new listen.