Shout Out Louds - Work

Shout Out Louds are senior citizens of the indie world, having released their first album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff all the way back in the distant, hazy past of 2003. The five-piece band from Stockholm return with their third release, Work, hoping to join the likes of The Hives, The Knife, Robyn, Journey and (not to take their name in vain) Abba, breaking across the North Sea and becoming an adopted act in the British music circuit.

The band have changed producers for the album opting to use Phil Ek, who is known for his work with The Shins and (more recently) Fleet Foxes. However comparisons with The Shins extend far beyond the producer: Shout Out Loud’s perfectionist guitar strokes, restrained drum patterns and (occasional) nonsensical vocals could have been lifted straight from any track of Wincing the Night Away.

Fall Hard is a catchy pop song with lively guitar hooks and a refrain which is hard to forget. From the first bars it identifies itself as a stand-out single, fusing erratic drums with muted brass tones. Paper Moon is another song which finds its own legs and is likely to be a fan favourite: Lo-fi bass tones accompany a string section, forming a powerful and organic-sounding piece of music. Here vocalist Adam Olenius seems at his most sincere, blasting out lyrics with a passion which is lacking at other parts in the album: “Is it true what they say about us? / Are the walls closing in?...Have you ever tasted young blood?”

There are times when the album feels more like a therapy session than a musical endeavour: Olenius takes the nature of catharsis to a whole new level, weaving apologies and regrets into the foundation of many songs on the record. This is never more apparent than in the opening verse of Play the Game: “My Friends, they don’t talk to me anymore / they don’t call me anymore / since I left the shore. / So I drink again...”


Commenting on the writing process, the band state that “Adam wrote many songs whilst in Melbourne, in a tiny room, with a little synthesizer, an acoustic guitar and Garageband”. This process penetrates through every track of the record: while the band’s previous efforts (especially 2007 release Our Ill Wills) turned out to be energetic affairs which combined eager contributions from all corners of the rehearsal room, it is hard to listen to Work in the same way. There are times when the other band members seem to have been consulted only as added extra to Olenius’ songwriting: they are the onion rings to his Big Mac meal, and there is very little pretence about it. Despite this lack of coherence, Work is an album with an undeniable sense of sincerity and there are times when Shout Out Louds capture the spark of Olenius’ intent to full effect. However, there are many times on the record where it is apparent that their creative span is not wide enough to bridge the difficult gap between singer-songwriter and energetic indie outfit.

Work is released on September 20th throughout the UK. Shout Out Louds will play the following tour dates:

22nd September – Relentless Garage, London
23rd September – Ruby Lounge, Manchester
24th September – King Tuts, Glasgow
25th September – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds.