Back in 2008, London/Cambridge three-piece Internet Forever formed. Via the internet, obviously. A couple of minor lo-fi indie-pop hits followed but it's only now that their debut record has come out. Gone is the lo-fi aesthetic and instead the songs are bigger, bolder and simply put - better. The resulting album is one of the year's most unique efforts, somehow managing to sound futuristic and twee simultaneously.
Sometimes making tracks slicker is a terrible denigration, here it is much the opposite - emboldening the original versions to such an extent that they are essentially entirely different offerings. And by different, I mean impressively so. A great deal of credit must go to producers Dreamtrak and James Rutledge but also to the band themselves for having the chutzpah to attempt something new with their debut album, of all things. The metamorphosis has been stark. And most welcome.
The largely instrumental opener 'Golden Temple' sets the tempo for 'Internet Forever' and also immediately signifies the band's new encompassing sound, in this case taking the lead from Animal Collective. What follows is half of an hour of almost relentless indie-power-pop, oft showered in brass instrumentation but also taking influence from the likes of Phil Spector, M83, experimental pop, jazz and shoegaze. The most overt comparison would be to early Los Campesinos!, when they tended toward a refreshing new brand of anthemic twee.
'Internet Forever' denotes a significant maturity in the band's sound, albeit perhaps not in the lyrics, which veer indiscriminately between the cringeworthy and the witty. This is all part of the band's charm however, and in abandoning their previous ramshackle approach, the songs now can be seen in a more positive light. In particular, the updated versions of past singles 'Break Bones' and 'Cover The Walls' are no longer simply catchy pop songs drowned in poor production but bonafide anthems for the generation that bought more shoes.
The album is perhaps too fast-paced at times which leads to ultimately forgettable tracks but at half an hour in length, 'Internet Forever' is a deliriously giddy ride. You might not remember much the morning after but you'll certainly know you had a good time. Four years after their birth, this is the true coming of Internet Forever.
7.5/10
'Internet Forever' is available to purchase from Bandcamp. Find more info at internetforever.co.uk.
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