Tim: R.A.B.B.I.I., short for Revolutions Are Best Before Initial Inception, are, according to one of the most over the top press releases we’ve seen in quite a while, a new Swedish pair that “defies current convoluted indie-pop norms with an unabashed, direct approach.” Hmm.
Tom: I really hope their manager wrote that, because that’s one of the most pretentious musical sentences I’ve heard in a while.
Tim: What the press release doesn’t mention, for no readily apparent reason, is that they are Felix and Jo who used to be in Le Kid.
Tom: “Used to be”? Ah well.
Tim: I suppose it might be because while it’s still electropop, it’s nowhere near what you’d expect from Le Kid. It’s calm, it’s understated, it’s quiet – it is, in fact, barely recognisable from the incredibly camp stuff that we liked from Le Kid. It’s also, dare I say it, a tad boring?
Tom: That’s pretty much what I came up with. I’m fairly sure the lyrics “eat your face” were in there, which woke me up a bit, but other than that. Hm.
Tim: Yes, it’s pleasingly and soothingly gentle, the vocals are pleasant enough to hear, but it’s nothing we’ve not heard several times previously, and it’s really nothing that gets me excited, which is a real shame. Almost like when Charlie from Busted went off to do Fightstar.
Tom: Good analogy. To be fair, there’s some value in producing music that your audience will find familiar — hearing something previously isn’t necessarily a killing blow.
Tim: I suppose not, but it’s not brilliant. Anyway, to stop this being too negative, I’ll finish up by handing back to the press release: “Revolution is liberty. Revolution is strife. Revolution is bliss. Revolution is blood. Caught in a web of these opposing forces lies R.A.B.B.I.I.” So there you go.
Tom: Pity the revolution doesn’t provide a decent middle-eight, really.