LANY, good guys
Polydor
LANY – their last album was titled Malibu Nights, and the title is apt for multiple reasons. Yes, it evokes the breezy, laidback, sun-drenched Malibu, LA, and it’s also as sweet as the coconut rum that takes name too. Latest track good guys is just as chilled, but falls short on the sweetness.
You can’t fault the instrumentals: a floaty, Bleachers-esque synth bolstered by gentle acoustic guitars in the chorus, sweeping soundscapes in the background conjuring a drifting dream world. It’s classic LANY, a pop tune layered up with tenderness and atmosphere to create the ultimate tranquil-bop.
Until you listen to the lyrics. Much of LANY’s best work taps into romantic, love-song clichés, using them to create narratives that are all the more endearing. Love-song clichés fit nowhere better than in a pop song. good guys, for all LANY’s sweetness, leaves a bitter taste in the mouth – impossible to sing along to without assuming the persona of the self-pitying ‘nice guy’ who can’t believe that a girl wouldn’t instantly fall at his feet for receiving the basic fundamentals of friendship. Unfortunately, good guys’ narrative is woven around such a character. The victim card vocalist Paul Klein’s persona is playing is almost laughable in its backwardness – no one’s in a place to comment on the personal life that may have inspired such a song, but it’s fans’ responsibility to question whether such a narrative is the one an artist with a platform as big as LANY should be pushing in 2020.
So, if you can get past all the tiny violins, good guys is a decent listen. But if not, don’t worry, Mama’s Boy is coming out later this year. Here’s hoping we go back to the soft love songs and sad breakup bangers and leave the misogynistic mentality to rest.
Good Guys is out now.
