

With guitars and synths swooping, swirling, and running circles around listeners’ ears, “Dreaming” maintains its vibrancy from start to finish. Read more at Ġ3) Dreaming The song that started it all, “Dreaming” is an infectiously high-energy, double-chorus song with multiple earworm hooks, a danceable beat, and an air of youth and celebration. Underneath this happy synth-driven music is a deep cry, an attempt for closure, and a story captured forevermore in song. This is the song that will enroll you in Smallpools.Ġ2) Killer Whales On the surface, “Killer Whales” is a happy song that you can dance to, sing along with, and enjoy in most any scenario. “American Love” offers the signature Smallpools indie/pop/dance/rock genre blend, making it accessible to many and very easy to fall for. RIFYL: MisterWives, fun., Walk The Moon, The Killers, Phoenixīold = key tracks (yes, there’s a lot of them this band is very good)Ġ1) American Love The LOVETAP! album opener is a modern day international love story: American boy meets/woos foreign girl, and life becomes an adventure. Once you’ve done that, go ahead and blast LOVETAP! all summer long. Their music may come out of complex situations, but at the end of the day, Smallpools definitely want you to have fun. You can use our song-by-song LOVETAP! guide as a reference. In a wider sense, Smallpools stand alongside fellow indie pop/rock newcomer bands like Sir Sly and Bad Suns, who carry a powerful message alongside their powerful songs.īefore you start blasting Smallpools all summer long, consider the deeper values and emotions embedded in these songs. As far as elusive, cryptic writing goes, this band gets a 10 out of 10. Smallpools don’t write or sing exclusively about love, sex, and drugs – and when they do, there are often deeper, hidden meanings at play that even a close study of the lyrics may not uncover. Thus, while frat bros and I can share an appreciation for songs like “Dreaming” and “Killer Whales” because of their danceability, I have a far greater appreciation and respect for those songs and others on LOVETAP! because of their veiled expressions of restlessness, helplessness, loneliness, and other generally non-“pop” aspects of the human condition. What is it about Smallpools that I like so much? In addition to the band’s impressively addictive, genre-bending sound, their music possesses a lyrical depth that distinguishes Smallpools’ artistry from that of their peers. Much like Shakespeare’s plays, Smallpools’ songs operate on multiple levels that cater to different audiences. As far as debut efforts go, LOVETAP! is a cohesive unit that showcases the band’s talent for catchy and memorable songcraft. Critics may denigrate the album for keeping too closely to the mold and failing to push upon boundaries, but it’s easy to forget that Smallpools are only just getting started. To make a long story short, LOVETAP! has been a highly anticipated and long awaited release. Smallpools are one of the biggest names in indie pop right now, and LOVETAP! offers more of the swelling synths, party-friendly dance tracks, and super catchy choruses that embodied the band’s 2013 EP.

The attention landed them their record deal and shortly thereafter, the release of the four-track Smallpools EP, led by “Dreaming” and featuring another indie hit, “Mason Jar.” The EP was (arguably) one of the hottest releases of 2013, and Smallpools spent the better part of the past two years touring in support of that record. 1 on the Hype Machine’s aggregated trending music chart. Smallpools made a grandiose splash in 2013 when their debut single, “Dreaming,” skyrocketed to No. If you find it difficult to conceptualize “indie pop” as a music genre, Smallpools’ newly-released debut album LOVETAP! can help you out. Released on March 24 via RCA Records, LOVETAP! offers a solid forty-five minutes of infectiously high-energy, party-ready synth and guitar-driven songs that blur the lines between alternative and pop music.
