First things first, this is not rock and/or roll. Make no mistake, Habits is route-one pop with its eye firmly on the US charts and airwaves. Already released Stateside, it’s fared fairly well. With The Killers as patrons, it really is no surprise. Unlike that Las Vegas band, however, Utah’s Neon Trees really bring nothing new to the party. They’ve no Brandon Flowers, no ideas above their station and, whisper it, their hooks aren’t half as good.
Reviving the recent ‘80s revival, they add synths to everything in the hope of becoming the new Duran Duran but really, these songs are simple, Stroke-lite confections. In Tyler Glenn, they have a singer with pipes but little appeal. He sounds for all the world as if he’s auditioning for *NSync. The banal boy-girl lyrics don’t help the cause, and lines like “I got close to your skin when you were sleeping” are enough to send shivers down the spine. And not in a good way.
Occasionally they capture a winning chorus or hit the sweet spot ­– see ‘1983’ and ‘Animal’. But if, as on the former, they yearn for the ‘80s, they need only look back as far as 2004 – Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ pulls off their one-trick far better than they do. Tweenagers have long since co-opted the guitar – this is Bieber and Cyrus territory now. To be fair, they do know their way around a catchy melody and as fast food music it’s not the worst. In other words, a respectably crafted debut but utterly redundant. Bring back The Bravery.