The Big Pink

Best known for their triumphant 2009 single “Dominos,” the Big Pink return with their second LP, Future This. On their sophomore effort, the British duo takes their sound and subject matter to a new level of positivity. Even so, Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell never stray far from their poppy electro-rock and create a marginally more varied album that struggles to revitalize the band, an imperative for a British rock band that wants to stand out among its numerous peers.

The Big Pink take obvious cues from ’80s post-punk giants the Cure and the Jesus and Mary Chain, but modernizes their sound with break-beats and sweeping synth flourishes to create a lavish experience well-suited for hi-fi headphone playback. The album exhausts it most conventional pop songs within the first few tracks. In “Stay Gold,” they reiterate the structure of “Dominos,” resulting in diminishing returns. “Hit the Ground (Superman)” is the catchiest song on the album, with instantly memorable chorus “I don’t want to hit the ground/ I’m Superman” well-paired to high-flown guitar bravado and intermittent vocal droning.

“Jump Music,” as its name suggests, is the most danceable number on Future This with undertones of House adorning its usual anthemic break-beat core. The album achieves its most poignant point at its conclusion, “77,” a rumination on drug addiction whose crescendos and violin sample end the album on a heaving, post-coital note.

Compared to their debut, Future This is a disappointing entry; though it’s an enjoyable dose of electro-rock, it fails to legitimize itself relative to its predecessor or achieve the same euphoric rush of “Dominos.” The Big Pink have severely undercut hopes for a continued relevance in the new decade.