You may know Is Tropical as the band that wears masks or bandannas over their faces for press pictures and while preforming. Or perhaps you're familiar with "The Greeks," the notorious video which shows a group of kids pretending to be drug dealers and shooting each other with toy guns, which has amassed an eye-popping 1.7 million views since its release on May 25th. With Tuesday's release of their debut album, Native To, Is Tropical will be known as a group that puts out kick ass music.Native To is a wave of '80s goodness with bouncy synths and dreamy but distorted lyrics, dance pop with a nod to yesteryear that would not sound totally out of place as the soundtrack to a John Hughes film. The album kicks off with "South Pacific," the band's first single, which was released in 2010.
Other standout tracks include the aforementioned "The Greeks," "Think We're Alone," "Take My Chances," "Lies," and my favorite cut on the album, the Pulp-ish "Clouds." There are also heavier, more guitar-oriented rockers like "Zombie" and "Oranges." The album's only miss is the instrumental that closes the affair, "Seasick Mutiny," which goes on far too long.
All in all, Native To is a very strong debut from Is Tropical, bouncy and fun and the perfect soundtrack for summer.
Verdict: Buy/download/steal Native To the day it's released and don't be surprised when it ends up on your Top 10 list at the end of the year.
