A Follow-up Found Lacking

American pop duo A Great Big World, consisting of Ian Axel and Chad King, have resurfaced for seemingly the first time since their single “Say Something” nearly swept the nation. Their new full-length LP When the Morning Comes is chock full of soaring pop tracks and anthemic ballads, all featuring the aggressively cheerful vocals of Axel and King.

To be frank, When the Morning Comes is difficult to listen to. Every song sounds like something that the producers of Glee would be eager to arrange for their band of performing teens. There is absolutely zero track-to-track variation. The experience of listening to When the Morning Comes is not unlike fighting your way through a dense crowd at a Disney parade, trying to escape the sickly sweet sounds of the Aladdin characters belting “A Part of Your World.” Even tracks that were obviously meant to be touching, such as “One Step Ahead,” fall severely short in their attempt to be upbeat and encouraging while still possessing melancholy lyrics. It’s contradictory, and results in a displeasing sensory assault.

It becomes apparent that A Great Big World should have taken some more cues from the success of “Say Something.” The track was popular for a reason: it was touching, poignant and not overbearing. But instead, the whole of When the Morning Comes is like an unpleasantly fragrant cologne that you can’t scrub off your skin, no matter how many showers you take.

Although a silver lining can almost always be found in any situation, I’m afraid it is deeply hidden in terms of When the Morning Comes.  A Great Big World uses their armory of ear-grating, conventionally structured pop songs as a blatant attempt at creating a follow-up to their hit single. Each track strains to be catchier than the last, and they fight for dominance until they create a messy pile-up of an album. Perhaps if Axel and King backtracked to the gentle melodies and tender lyrics that skyrocketed them to fame in the first place, When the Morning Comes could come close to being listenable.