Album review: Single File: 'Common Struggles'

Single File: 'Common Struggles' (Reprise)

Single File play a very dangerous game. The Colorado three-piece deal in the kind of monochromatic teen angst that gets bands laughed off the stage, accused of being self-obsessed and whiny, and told to come back in a few years when they’ve grown a pair. Their début album, ‘Common Struggles’, isn’t the most thematically complex of records: what we have here are eleven slabs of adolescent navel-gazing, paeans to love lost and spurned, with the occasional psuedo-existential quandary thrown in for good measure. When Sloan Anderson sings ‘everything I build falls apart’ on the maudlin ‘Blue Sky Happiness’, or counterpoints being ‘sad about a girl’ on opener ‘Mannequin Loveseat’ with the lines ‘I’m always a pleasure to be with/And the pleasure’s always mine’, the most tempting response is, “yeah, well, get over yourself mate”. Quit masturbating over your problems, open the door to your room and get outside. It might do you some good.

Fortunately, this isn’t the whole picture. What ‘Common Struggles’ lacks in lyrical variety, it makes up for in its explorative musical palate. In a similar vein to their peers (Saves the Day, the Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack), the band offset their despondent subject matter with an upbeat, poppy sound that takes the edge off some of the clichés. There are clicking fingers (‘Pizzagirl’), clapping hands (‘Girlfriends’) and whistling lips (um, ‘Girlfriends’ again) to be found alongside the sometimes grungy, sometimes summery guitars, giving the music a decidedly playful feel. The band’s swing-jazz past – yes, you read that right – shines through too, in the funky bass lines that drive ‘Miss Cherry Lipgloss’ and ‘Melody of You’. And then there’s their expert grasp of melody. Every track could be released as a single; so insanely catchy are the choruses. After a few listens, you’ll have all of the words of album highlight ‘Zombies Ate My Neighbours’ down to a tee. These guys certainly know how to get your feet tapping, no matter how much you may want to resist.

Sure, ‘Common Struggles’ isn’t going to win any awards for lyrical innovation. This is an unashamedly adolescent album that wears its lovesick, tormented heart on its snot-drenched sleeve. At times, this threatens to irritate but thankfully, there’s enough vocal and musical flair to keep things interesting. Single File may not be in the same league as their peers yet, but just give them time. Oh, and a dictionary: ‘irregardless’ is not a word, guys. Tsk tsk. 7/10