Slope Media Group

Album Review: Optica by Shout Out Louds

For fans of: Foals, Ra Ra Riot

Swedish band Shout Out Louds were always a band that I was always a bit iffy about. I discovered them back in the day when the OC was still on the air, and one of their songs played on the show…speaking of which, does anyone remember that show? I really, really miss it. In fact I kind of want to marathon it now but I digress, back to the original point. A lot of their songs felt very hit or miss for me, so I was apprehensive of their new album, Optica. Known for their quirky alternative style, there were definitely some tracks on this album that intrigued me, mainly because they use a lot of different sounds and beats on their tracks (the track Circles being a prime example) There is an element of childishness on this album, but rather than being obnoxious and annoying, it makes you (or…well, me in this case) really happy and upbeat, which I think is really needed with prelim season taking place currently. I felt like the album, as a whole, made for really good study break/paper writing music cause their mixture of dream pop and alternative make it peppy without being irritating, and puts you in a good mood…which is nice, considering the dreary weather currently facing us all here in Ithaca. Plus, I really like the fact that they have a male and female vocalist, cause their voices really complement each other, and their song arrangements are really interesting, each track definitely has its own unique vibe to it to keep the listener’s attention.