BY MICHAEL HENNINGSENQuintessentially pop and heavy on sing-along melodies, Lousy Robot bridges a gap on the local music scene with songs that are simple and simply gorgeous. Their unabated efforts to create a gently captivating canon of music is evidenced on the band’s Socyermom debut, Smile Like You Are Somewhere Else.
Eleven songs capture roughly 30 minutes of sheer pop bliss — “It’s Getting to Me” and “A Way of Overstating,” a rare final track that forces the listener to immediately start the disc over, are among several highlights.
The band here sound fully-formed, which is a feat far too few bands are able to accomplish even on their third and fourth releases. Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else manages to capture a moment while inspiring the desire for many more to come. Mellow and decidedly low-key, the record is also melodically jovial — a testament to the musicality of the band and the perseverance of its members’ desire to create pop that sounds neither contrived nor dated.