Junior Boys Begone Dull Care
Recorded with its members on different continents—singer Jeremy Greenspan in Ontario and programmer Matthew Didemus […]
Recorded with its members on different continents—singer Jeremy Greenspan in Ontario and programmer Matthew Didemus in Berlin—sophisticated electro-pop duo Junior Boys’ third outing initially feels handicapped by that distance. Begone Dull Carelacks the immediacy and hooks of previous standouts “Birthday” and “In the Morning” and seems sluggish despite its short length. Yet successive spins reveal a nuanced grower. What at first sounded lethargic is simply elongated and more delicately detailed. Opener “Parallel Lines” and “Sneak a Picture”—with its sparkly synths and deliberate bass—best showcase the Boys’ ability to succeed in this looser format. This isn’t the album you expected from them, but it’s as elegant as anything they’ve done to this point.