Today sees the release of the sophomore album from Sweden’s Shout Out Louds, and it is anything but a sophomore slump. We have been sitting on the excellent single for some time now, “Tonight I Have To Leave It”, and despite it’s obvious leanings towards The Cure, it is really a great song. And also a great start to this record, which overall is a consistent and incredibly solid album.

Shout Out Louds employed the “B” in PB&J for the production work on Our Ill Wills, he being Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John. Yttling was also a part of the debut album from the boys, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, though at the time had none of the Young Folks mojo. And now the band are calling him the unofficial 6th Shout Out Loud. And while some of the swede-pop sensibilities are present on this album, Shout Out Louds are no PB&J, nor do they aim to be.

The band still have The Cure thing going for them throughout the album, but I think it helps things more than hurting and a few songs really shine here. “Hard Rain” is the last and longest song on the album, but may also be the best, while the consistency is evident with tunes like Blue Headlights, where Victoria Bergsman, formerlly of The Concretes, known best for her vox in Young Folks and now of Taken By Trees, shines.

The album is available today from Merge Records, so go out and pick it up!

Shout Out Louds – Tonight I Have To Leave It