The review:
International Love Affair is the lead song from Laurel Collective's mini album 'Feel Good Hits Of A Nuclear Winter'. The band is an intriguing UK six piece who combine traditional indie guitar music with vibrant electronics and bass. The sound is compelling and frustrating at the same time as a great idea is often spoiled by a need to be different.The song opens with a blast of bog standard guitars, bass and drums before exploding into some cool bouncy keyboards. When Martin Sakutu's vocals kick in, the bass takes over and it falls flat before picking up again and building to the chorus (with some neat additions from co-vocalist Bob Tollast), again peppered with elastic electronica. Two and a half minutes of this idea and it all starts to go wrong - the structure and coherence get lost under some kitchen sink production. Even Sakutu sounds bored and underwhelmed. The music gets back on course with more great guitar work but then what amounts to a simple repeat of the chorus, more weird keyboards and a stuttering close.
International Love Affair is not a great single but it is certainly better than most of the songs on the album, most notably the messy 'Seasick Sailor'. However it is not as interesting as recent garage rock single 'Vuitton Blues'. But Laurel Collective sound cluttered, like everyone is stepping on each others' toes all the time. Consistency is the key on many levels for a band who still have much to prove.
-- CS (for The Music Magazine)
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