NEW RELEASE: Indie band Two Door Cinema Club releases a long awaited third album after a three year hiatus.
By Emma Carson, Staff Writer
On October 14, the extended break for independent band Two Door Cinema Club came to an end. After three years of nothing— no music, no tour, and suspicions of a broken-up band— the band has answered their fans’ prayers with “Gameshow,” their new 15-track album. It may be a bit ridiculous to be this crazed over an album, but compared to other artists in mainstream genres of music, it has been a lengthy three years.
Indie music is a rock derived style of music. It is very unique in the way that it could be any genre of music, ranging from indie rock, like the Strokes, or indie folk with Bon Iver. Two Door Cinema Club was more indie rock, but are now transitioning to indie pop. Independent artists often have powerful influence over one another, creating a similar sound and the overall indie style.
Prior to “Gameshow,” Two Door Cinema Club released two full albums and one extended play (ep): “Tourist History” (2010), “Beacon” (2012) and “Changing of the Seasons” (2013), released (respectively) under a mix of the record labels Kitsune, Glassnote Records, and Parlophone. “Gameshow” was released under Warner Music Group, a much more well-known label, and it exhibited a big step for the band. The quality of the new music is not necessarily better than their previous music; it is just very different and professional.
Many fans are excited, but they don’t know if it was either like or dislike at first listen. The first two albums were very similar, but the new style “Gameshow” promotes is almost too different and doesn’t sound true to the band. They’ve brought the fun idea of ‘80s funk to the music, but it takes away from their unique style of instrumentals and lyrics. It seems as if the fans waited a long period of time for a mediocre album.
The album is considered by some to be a fresh start for the band, but fans are trying their best to genuinely like the album. I just think they have moved away from their originality to a more material indie style. It’s almost like they are tricking you with the first bass chords of “Gameshow,” which sound most familiar to their song “Beacon.”
The best songs on the album are “Are We Ready,” “Ordinary,” “Fever,” “Lavender” and “Good Morning.” “Are We Ready” was released earlier in June, and serves as almost a midway point between “Beacon” and “Gameshow,” which makes it more likeable. “Ordinary” and “Fever” are two that stick out in the album with meaningful lyrics and odd upbeat tempos that still keep the classic style of the band, but introduces their new style. “Lavender” and “Good Morning” are catchy, and remind fans most of “Beacon.”
The pace at which all artists release music is completely up to the them, but many have a greater work ethic than others. Mainstream music never seems to end because it is the type of music most listened to on the radio, but it is also less acceptable for those artists to simply take a break. If singers like Taylor Swift or Drake were to wait longer than usual to release new music and be totally unresponsive to fans, there would be a pretty antsy fan base, just like Two Door Cinema Club’s case.
This begs the question: is it better to produce music independently or with more people involved? Independent music is harder to promote, but may be ardently promoted to the fans who like that type of music. Some Indie artists, including Two Door Cinema Club, only want their music to appeal to a certain audience and it is therefore more acceptable for them to take a longer break in between new releases. More popular artists in pop and rap have their new music promoted everywhere and they have much larger audiences. For them, this means a break from publicity is almost never guaranteed.
The answer to this question is somewhere in the middle, just as long as these artists enjoy what they are doing. Music quality is determined by each individual fan and it is great to live in an era where music is given an opportunity to thrive in diverse areas.