Neon Trees - I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends)

Like me, you may have come to Neon Trees via all the headlines over the past week. Like me, you will be kicking yourself that you haven't discovered their music much much earlier but at least now you will be revelling in the fact that you have two albums of music to indulge in (with a third on the way imminently). What a treat! Like B-Flo from The Killers before him, I've found an engaging and charismatic front man in Tyler Glenn who I relate to (having grown up Mormon myself) - and whose natty style I can try and emulate for all the parties/engagements/weddings I have coming up this year (quite frankly he looks entirely delicious in the video above)! Regardless of whether you have loved Neon Trees all along or whether they are new to you, their current single I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends) is one of the most vibrant and rewarding pop songs of 2014 thus far. Lyrically it brilliantly evokes all those giddy feelings that you get in the first flush of a relationship when everything is thrilling & exciting, with every touch giving a frisson of energy; a tingling of anticipation. Faults are forgiveable and everything is seemingly perfect - except for that one minor nagging detail: THE FRIENDS. We've all been there but never before has this conundrum been captured so effortlessly with 3 1/2 minutes of near musical perfection. The verses are infused with a sparse nu-wave inspired percussive groove that allows Tyler to give a real attitude fueled vocal that practically sneers at the debbie-downer vibe said friends try to put on this strange & wonderful new relationship; this gives way to a huge soaring synth driven chorus that fully ensnares the listener with it's mesmerisingly good refrain. You can actually instantly imagine this being chanted by thousands of adoring fans during the festival period this summer. There's an undeniable swagger in Tyler's declaration that is all too hard to resist & gives the song real personality. What also helps is that it feels like a cohesive band track where each contributed enhances the other, all coalescing to provide a thrillifying experience that makes me desperate for their Pop Pyschology album (and to see them live - though sadly I'm in Greece when they are in England for my 40th birthday in May. BAH!)... Do check out the bright yet totally ingenius video above (fave moment: Tyler eating the banana next to the dude dressed as a banana - his reaction is priceless) for a glorious Friday treat :)