Released November 7th 2011 on Schnapps House
Reviewed by Francesca Baker
My initial thought was ‘Oooh, they remind me of Pulp.’ Anyone who knows It’s All Happening, or myself, will aware that this is emphatically. A. Good. Thing. The occasionally venomous lyrics plinky piano and bouncy melodies employed by The Standards are used to an alchemic effect to create a songs so catchy that your find your heart beating to them long before your head starts to process them. All this is true on latest single Mice, offhand comments made in a slightly soiled yet soothing voice tossed amongst moody riffs as it swerves with menace to a ridiculously simple and catchy chorus. Despite being doused in Carnaby Street style, there are some surprises chucked in; the trickling guitar post chorus sounds almost Catalan and even the la la la’s sound like an essential ingredient in the quest for the perfect pop song. Love it.
Mice by The Standards