For fans of:

Matt & Kim, Walk The Moon, Cold War Kids

Singles to download:

Do You Love Someone, Spinning, Heart Of Mine

When listening to an album called “Big Mess,” you would think that the songs would be disjointed and unfinished. However, quite the opposite is true with GROUPLOVE’s third studio album. “Big Mess” is an excellent continuation of GROUPLOVE’s music career, with a running theme of independence and individualism that at times blurs the lines between freedom and loneliness. But with all of that, there are also themes of family and togetherness, members Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi recently had a child, and you get the sense that a lot of the big mess was in their own lives, as they became new parents.

If you liked GROUPLOVE’s first two albums, you’ll love this one. In true GROUPLOVE style, the album is a mix of indie/alternative, rock, pop and synth styles. The 11 songs on this album can be great to jam to or put on at a party, but you can also just put on the album and listen to it all the way through.

The first three songs in the album show an incredible range while never really parting from the musical style that GROUPLOVE has become known and renowned for. The album’s first song, “Welcome to Your Life,” opens with the lines, “We’re back in business/You’re such a big mess/And I love you.” Upbeat and hiding some insecurities, this song launches the album in an excellent way. The song has high hopes with the lines, ‘Welcome to your life/It could be a fantasy.’ GROUPLOVE is obviously happy to have released a new album after three years.

“Do You Love Someone,” the second song in the album, is the first song that really impresses the sense of loneliness. It repeatedly uses the phrase “You say I’m something free” through it, and in the rest of the song, you get the sense that the album’s protagonist is struggling to establish an identity as an individual but is also excited for new opportunities for self-expression.

“Standing in the Sun” is the carefree song of the album. It shows a sense of freedom, independence and fun. With lyrics that shimmer with positive energy, the song sends good vibes of happiness for a variety of occasions.

Then, later in “Spinning,” there is more to do with finding your own rhythm. When GROUPLOVE sings, “I was broken, now I’m brave/Say here I am/Found my colors in the gray,” they seem to be singing about establishing themselves. They’ve reinvented themselves and found their inner colors. There is a joy found in the song and also a sort of sweet sorrow in it, as well.

“Heart Of Mine” (along with “Traumatized”) seems to be about parenthood, although this song seems more about the partnership aspect than the child aspect. The line “So won’t you be/ Standing next to me” repeats throughout the song. This song is one that emphasizes partnership and family above personal freedom, which sparks a debate in the album about which should be more valued. And as the album moves on, in order of the songs, each of the songs seem to value family above individualism more and more, showing a kind of maturity in the album’s protagonist as the album itself progresses.

Speaking of maturity, GROUPLOVE itself has matured musically since the last album, “Spreading Rumors.” The band seems to show more depth and variety in their music now. The songs tackle more complex concepts and themselves have deeper meanings. The band’s use of themes in their songs weaves a tapestry of interpretation that can be made from the album.

Although GROUPLOVE has evolved and changed, it hasn’t lost track of its own style and form. You can listen to any of these songs, and an element that is unique to the band still shows through. The band does an amazing job with affixing its own styles and personalities to the music.

The album is a big mess, at times, in the fact that there seem to be so many themes in one album, but this is to the credit of the album rather than to its detriment. Each song can be taken individually and at face value, but if you take the time to see how the songs fit together, it shows what is a complex life, rather than just one view of someone. The last song, “Hollywood,” wraps it up nicely by saying: “I’ve been tired/You’ve been gone” and “And Hollywood just talks the talk/Making movies ‘round the clock/But I’ve got something classical/To keep the people wanting more.” There are elements of pride and sadness, independence and loneliness and even a sort of longing that, in the end, will keep the people wanting more.