Mini Review: Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some

Since reaching their commercial peak with 2006’s Writer’s Block (and the still ever-omnipresent single "Young Folks") Peter Bjorn and John have struggled to find a totally satisfying sequel, not even for themselves it appears. Gimme Some is the Swedish indie-poppers third album since Writer’s Block, and their third change in direction, as more of an effort is placed on a cohesive sound than ever, perhaps as a result of Bjorn Yttling’s production duties on Lykke Li’s two albums. The band have opted for a punk aesthetic for many songs such as "Cool Off", "Black Book", and best of all "Lies". The bass-heavy love song "Eyes" and the Paul Simon-like "Dig a Little Deeper" show rare signs of optimism. However there is a feeling of repetition creeping in; many songs contain similar drum-led intros for example, and this familiarity means there isn’t anything that really sticks out other than the aforementioned songs. Which is a shame because the direction of the individual song was once one of Peter Bjorn and John’s greatest assets. At least their career between albums shows more diversity.
6/10