ALBUM REVIEW – “Loopified” by Dirty Loops

Take groovy electronic beats, jazzy piano rhythms, and mix this with catchy lyrics and a ridiculously talented singer and you get the Swedish pop fusion trio known as Dirty Loops. Electronic music has been on the rise for a while now, steadily becoming more popular. Dirty Loops has decided to jazz it up, literally. Their choice in instrumentation has created an 80’s vibe. There is a lot of emphasis on the slapping technique on bass guitar which was a popular sound in the 80’s. There is also a strong usage of the keyboard as well as brass instruments. This combination of the 80’s vibe along with the recent style of electronic music has created a new and intriguing sound, allowing Dirty Loops to stand out compared to modern electronic music.

In general, the album,” Loopified”, has an extremely consistent sound. It is very loud, upbeat, and fun. Dirty Loops knows their audience and the style of music they want to make. This can be an advantage, but then again, there is also a price for this. The album may begin to blend together as one long track to some people. Maybe this is what Dirty Loops wanted; it is hard to know for sure. The one track that stands out the most is “Crash And Burn Delight”, demonstrating a different, more gentle, and less jazzy sound than the other songs in the album. It is exciting to hear a different sound than the rest of the album. Including more moments like this throughout the album would have been an interesting idea and may have prevented the album from blending together.

Overall, there is no doubt this band has talent. The singer demonstrates an ability to have a never ending range, singing falsetto more than a few times and hitting unexpected notes that grab the listeners attention. They showcase electronic breakdowns in multiple tracks as well as intense piano (featured in “The Way She Walks”) and bass guitar riffs. What needs the most work are the lyrics. Dirty Loops has a pop sound and their lyrics follow the typical theme of pop lyrics- love. At times they may sound slightly cliche, but they have catchy choruses and are easy to sing along to, which may be exactly what they were intending.
The first track (“Hit Me”) immediately lets the listener know their style, giving any surprises the album has away. Yes, it instantly grabs the audience’s attention, but at the same time, it does not give the album anywhere to grow. No one can deny this band has talent, but because the songs sound similar, does the listener eventually forget about their immense talent? There is a possibility that if they toned it down and sprinkled the falsetto and groovy beats sparingly throughout the album, their talent would be appreciated more when it shined above the other parts of the album. Instead, “Loopified” goes full force from beginning to end. Hopefully this pays off and this talented group gets the fan base they deserve.

Rating: 8/10

Shannon Williams