Icona Pop went wrong by releasing “I Love It” too soon before the album debuted.

By the time “This is…Icona Pop” came out, we were already tired of the duo. Yes, the song — which features English singer-songwriter Charli XCX — is catchy and possibly a great break-up anthem, but because of incessant mainstream overplays, the song has become annoying.

The entire album is pretty much the same as the opening track: short, electronica-based songs with vague lyrics and little substance. While this isn’t always a bad thing (because who really sits and analyzes music while dancing in a club?), an entire album full of it is overkill. Unless, of course, you’re Ke$ha.

Speaking of Ke$ha, she was an obvious influence for the song “We Got The World,” during which the Swedish pop duo sing “We can live fast, fly young,” and “We found a way to live the dream until we die.” Also, like Ke$ha, the group doesn’t actually sing in the traditional sense. They more or less talk into the microphone over an electronic beat.

Icona Pop, made up of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, has this habit of performing its songs in perfect unison. In “Ready for the Weekend,” this works really well. In the opening seconds, the duo does a rather beautiful harmonization, which fades into the rest of the song. Unfortunately, the rest of the track is just over-synthesized dance music with a dreadful, high-pitched voice repeating the word “weekend” again and again.

Another problem with Icona Pop: The lyrics are really simple. In some cases, there is only one verse, which is repeated twice to avoid releasing 1-minute tracks. They do this in “In The Stars,” which isn’t too bad. In fact, it’s arguably one of the strongest songs on the album. But it only works on rare occasions, like with “I Love It.”

“Just Another Night” is the first (and only) bit of depth we get from this album. It’s raw and emotional, and you can feel it. It proves Icona Pop is capable of making real music, not just mindless dance tracks. Still, the duo needs a little more of that and a little less of the party-rock anthems.

“Hold On” takes a break from the synthesizing sounds and uses actual instruments. This song is a feel-good track — inspirational, even — as Icona Pop convinces us to “hold on” to whatever they are talking about. But because of the vagueness, it’s hard to understand in what direction the album is going.

“Then We Kiss” sounds a little like a Foster the People track and an interesting way to end the album. It isn’t a bad addition at all, but it doesn’t help the album, either. “Light Me Up” sounds more conclusive and would have been a better way to end things. “Then We Kiss” hints at a romance, one not mentioned at any point earlier in the album, and right as we find out more about the relationship, the song and album just end. It’s unfair.

Icona Pop’s album isn’t awful. It just isn’t good. While some people prefer party songs and fun tracks, albums should tell stories and give more insight into the artist. “This is…Icona Pop” falls short of that. And without any collaborations with other artists (with the exception of Charli XCX), it offers very little variety and interest to the listener.

But if you don’t care, and still love it, this is the perfect album for you.

Published on September 23, 2013 at 11:07 pm

Contact Elaina: ekcrocke@syr.edu