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Written by Laura Hamlett Tuesday, 26 August 2014 18:00

Like little evil cheerleaders, children shout out the title track, letter by letter.

Be Impressive, the debut album from Australia’s The Griswolds, gets off to a lighthearted, fun, and poppy start. Even though summer is nearing its close, sunshine and sand radiate from opening track “16 Years” and into “Right on Track.” A carefully plucked guitar kicks off “Beware the Dog,” which, too, qualifies as beach listening. There are group choruses on “Down and Out,” which elevate it above its more saccharine predecessors.

Unfortunately, the Griswolds decided to introduce a children’s chorus into the song—which, in this writer’s opinion, is almost never a good idea. (For the sole exception I can think of, listen to OneRepublic’s “All the Right Moves,” which kicks the ass of even non-chorus songs any day of the week.) But wait…it gets worse. Like little evil cheerleaders, children shout out the title track, letter by letter: “Be! Impressive! B! E! Impressive!” (And yes, later in the song they spell out “impressive,” too.)

Are you getting the gist? The album’s enjoyable, but it begins to feel like more of the same (when you’re not being assaulted by kids, that is), making it on the whole not enough to really sink your teeth into. However, if you just feel like putting down the top and letting the wind whip through your hair, you could do worse. C- | Laura Hamlett