What's great about The Pinker Tones' new album, Modular, is that its synthetic hymns sound like a nightclub in Ibiza -- even though the Spanish trio sings mostly about mundane things. "Estirado Al Sol" ("Lying in the Sun"), for example, is about thinking the neighbor's daughter still looks hot, even as she complains about gaining weight. Then, as is the group's lyrical style, The Pinker Tones' members throw a bowling ball into what seems to be a lighthearted ping-pong game: A cowboy in a thong walks by. "These are the things that happen when I'm lying in the sun," they sing. Really?
Another reason to hang out with these boys from Barcelona is their bitingly sarcastic sense of humor, as exemplified by songs like "Sampleame" ("Sample Me"), which speaks cynically about artists who sample music: "My small contribution in the chain of creation / is that of a midget standing on the shoulder of Samson." In "Sabiduria Popular" ("Folk Wisdom"), they stick out their tongues at all of your grandmother's and Miss Manners' advice; they say money is way more important than good health, and they always laugh first and hardest.
But that's the kind of boyish brattiness that makes The Pinker Tones such fun. The band members are like Pee-Wee Herman's electronica-loving cousins, and even dress a bit like him. They sing about their friends, their love of Game Boy music and stealing a kiss from a girl -- and then running away. The songs stick to you like candy, and are just as delicious.
Modular will stream here in its entirety until its release on June 29. Please leave your thoughts on the album in the comments section below.
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