Scouting For Girls are a Pop Rock band from London. They are currently signed to Epic Records, and with lyrics exploring subjects such as wishing to be James Bond for the day and lusting after Michaela Strachan when they were the age of twelve; it is clear that Scouting For Girls do not take themselves too seriously. They formed in 2005, released this self-titled album in September 2007, and already they have shifted over 300 000 copies of it. This is a really great achievement for a band few had heard of little over six months ago. They truly have come a long way as a band in a very short space of time.
The sound of Scouting For Girls is one that you will either love or hate; I feel that there is generally no middle ground with this sort of music as you will either take on board and be amused by the cheesy lyrics, or this will be a factor that will make you despise and detest the band. I personally don’t mind the lyrical content of the band at all, it actually adds to the charm and enjoyment that can be gained from listening to Scouting For Girls I feel. One complaint I do have with the lyrics however is just how repetitive they can be; it’s one thing the lyrics not being particularly intelligent, but when repeated over and over again they can certainly become a little irritating. I’ve noticed that repetition is something that Scouting For Girls seem to be huge fans of, and whilst repeated emphasis of words will certainly make you remember their music; it can sometimes be for all the wrong reasons.
The album consists of a mere ten tracks, plus one extra tagged on as a ‘Bonus Track’ at the end of ‘James Bond’. The album clocks in at a total of just under forty Minutes including the ‘Bonus Track’, and despite my grievances with the repetitive nature of the lyrics, I am actually quite a fan of this self titled début release from Scouting For Girls. There are a number of tracks that stand out strongly to me, most notably ‘Heartbeat’ and opening track ‘Keep On Walking’. That said, it is actually exceptionally hard to have favourite tracks when it comes to this album as pretty much all the songs sound the same and therefore if you like one you’ll probably like them all, and in the same sense; if you’ve heard any track by the band and not been a fan then chances are that you will not find this début album from them to be too impressive.
‘Heartbeat’ is one that captured my attention when listening to this album due to the exceptional nature of its chorus. The majority of the bands choruses on this album are very much the same and follow the same general patter, however there is something that stands out about this one as being just a little bit different and it is therefore a definite favourite of mine from this album and a clear highlight. ‘Heartbeat’ is a track that you can go back and listen to time and time again without ever tiring of I feel. It really is an infectious little number and once I start listening to it I find it hard to stop. ‘Keep On Walking’ again stands out to me as a result of its fantastic chorus, a track which works exceptionally well at the beginning of the album and sets up the mood fantastically. There is nothing particularly ground breaking about it, it just really appeals to me as it is so incredibly catchy, something that can actually be said about the Scouting For Girls album as a whole in fact.
When listening to this album you tend to get the impression that something is missing from the sound of the band. When you listen carefully, you soon discover that the band are devoid of a guitarist; the three instruments that the band possess are keyboard, bass, and drums. It is strange that the music works so well given the absence of a guitar to drive their sound forward, however I feel that the main reason the music does work is because of the great nature of the bands choruses. It is here that Scouting For Girls thrive, and not a single one of the tracks on this album disappoint in the chorus department. Always incredibly catchy, never short of enthralling; Scouting For Girls make the most of what they have and pull through with an incredibly well rounded sound which never fails to impress.
Although the band have only released one album so far, they are already causing a massive stir and are loved by people all around the country. Whilst the band have plenty of fans though, there are also a lot of haters out there as well. I explained earlier that Scouting For Girls are either a band that you will love or you will hate, so therefore it is really no surprise about the divide of opinion that the band cause. I do appreciate that Scouting For Girls début album will not be for all, but if you’ve not come across the band before then I would suggest that you give one of their tracks a try. If you like what you hear then go ahead and purchase their self titled début album as you can expect to hear plenty more the same. Scouting For Girls are not the most original of bands and they are certainly not the most intelligent, however the music that they are making is good fun to listen to and their album is therefore one that I would recommend. Listen to this album with an open mind, but don’t expect to find too much variation or lyrical intelligence or else you’ll be thoroughly disappointed.
Label: 14th Floor
Release Date: 17th September 2007
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
