SHINY TOY GUNS: III

GENRE | SYNTH SERENADE
VERDICT | THREE-HIT WONDER
LABEL | FIVE SEVEN MUSIC
RELEASE | 10.23.12

You’re watching a cell phone commercial. You’re in Forever 21 picking out a sequined scarf. You’re at a scene convention in 2008. What hasn’t changed? Shiny Toy Guns is still playing in the background!

The band’s third album is indeed capable of inducing space-travel hallucinations, as long as they don’t have too much substance.

All snippy comments aside, STG does show signs of evolution from their previous efforts. The hook of “Fading Listening” contains an essence of Daft Punk disco, while “Take Me Back to Where I Was” is a soaring pianistic ballad perfect for the kids on Glee.

And is emo still a thing? STG seems to have a hard time letting go of it on emo-tronic “Waiting Alone.” Sprinkle these snippets on top of the fact that III is almost entirely synthesized, and you’ve got yourself a liberal dose of pretty, processed pop-rock with “beeps” and “boops” aplenty.

I’m sure that Shiny Toy Guns diehards (That’s a thing, right? –Ed.) will be eating it up, but the rest of us will simply be picking at it.

SHINY TOY GUNS

WITH MNDR, COLOURMUSIC
SUNDAY 10.28.12
BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
158 BRIGHTON AVE.
ALLSTON
9PM/18+/$17
@SHINYTOYGUNS
BRIGHTONMUSICHALL.COM
SHINYTOYGUNS.COM