Recess reviews: 'Where'd Your Weekend Go?'

I tend to seek out music that satisfies at least one of two personal requirements: the music explores previously unexplored emotions, or the music explores familiar emotions in a new way (through new instrumentation, unprecedented songwriting style, etc.). Considering this, I was rather confused when I found myself tapping my foot and basically jamming out to The Mowgli’s’ new album, "Where’d Your Weekend Go?"

The album explores no new emotions; the same uplifting, energetic mood that has defined the forgettable ocean of 2010’s alternative pop-rock is just about the only emotion present here. The album does not explore these familiar emotions in any new ways either; each song draws sonic comparisons to either Of Monsters and Men’s more popular songs, Mutemath’s excellent latest album "Vitals,"  or some amalgamation of "Foster the People" and "Two Door Cinema Club." Having heard nothing new, why, then, did I enjoy "Where’d Your Weekend Go?"

I decided to give the album a more thorough, critical listen, analysing each song. “So What” and “Spacin Out” feature a nice electronic touch and a saxophone and horns, which is new for The Mowgli’s. They are catchy and a bit less cliche than their older music.

Just as the album starts to drift into mediocrity with the generic “Automatic” and “Alone Sometimes”, "Where’d Your Weekend Go?" offers a charming interlude with “Arms & Legs”, an acoustic, Jason Mraz-esque song with a simplistic guitar part and quiet harmonies. One of The Mowgli’s biggest weaknesses has always been album flow, so including this interlude is encouraging and refreshing.

Meanwhile, one of The Mowgli’s biggest strengths has been their album closers. “We Are Free” and “Sunlight”, the respective closers of their previous two albums "Waiting For The Dawn"  and "Kids In Love,"  are two of their best songs. "Where’d Your Weekend Go?" does not disappoint on this front, with the slow, calming “Open Energy” acting as a reassuring finale.

After this thorough second listen, the answer as to why I was attracted to The Mowgli’s’ new album was still not clear to me. Yes, the songs check out as catchy and not entirely cliche, but, at just 33 minutes, the album doesn’t really flow or tell a story. I decided to give it one more casual listen after a long day of classes and studying, and this is when it clicked. It’s simple: "Where’d Your Weekend Go?" makes me happy. Is it groundbreaking music? No. Is it unique and original? Not particularly. But that’s not what The Mowgli’s are going for. The Mowgli’s aim to make reliable, feel-good music you can study to, run to, and listen to with friends. In this arena, "Where’d Your Weekend Go?" is a success.