Spreading Rumours
by Grouplove
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Sep 17, 2013
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
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  1. cryhardhumor
    Jul 21, 2015
    7
    Catchy and often shallow, which usually is the type of music that I hate...but with Spreading Rumors, the music is so well produced and infectious that you can't help but jam to it
  2. kingdo
    Jun 14, 2015
    10
    I'm only writing this because the critics reviews are so far off base.
    The beginning of this album starts with this sprawling piano melody followed by drums in to the mix. It than changes ever so slightly to become an actually song that has a great melody and slight build up from verse>chorus that's very indie rock 2000's sounding. It works and works well. The surprising part about this    I'm only writing this because the critics reviews are so far off base.
    The beginning of this album starts with this sprawling piano melody followed by drums in to the mix. It than changes ever so slightly to become an actually song that has a great melody and slight build up from verse>chorus that's very indie rock 2000's sounding. It works and works well. The surprising part about this is when you hear the drum fills compared to other 2000's indie rock songs/bands. As a drummer myself, it's the first instrument my ears perk up to.
    The drum fills are much heavier than a pop rock song.
    Track 2 (Borderlines and Aliens) features a very Primus influenced sounding guitar rift, and at a tempo they like to play. Once again, a great semi-mellow verse, followed by a heavier build up to a chorus.
    The chorus drum fills/bridge once again have very heavy metal/punk influenced drums.
    The next couple of songs are much more melodic and poppy, and have some softer rock edges around them. Easily radio friendly (in fact track 4, ways to go, saw tons of radio play.)
    Track 5 (Shark Attack) is a work of genius. I've never heard a song like it, it's brilliant.
    Track 6 has an amazing drum outro influenced heavily by African drum beats. And tracks 8 and 12 have heavy Pixies influenced sounding on them.
    All in all I only ever skip over 1 track of this album. It's my favorite released album by anyone in the last 5 years. A Shame critics don't even know good music when they hear it nowadays.    … Expand
  3. montauk
    Mar 19, 2014
    9
    The sophomore album from Grouplove impressed me. Growth was shown whithin the lyrics and their musical content. Their debut album found success with their catchy indie tunes. The same is found within Spreading Rumors in songs such as "Bitin' the Bullet", "Ways to Go", and "Sit Still", amonst others. I am ready to see this live from such an enregetic group in April.
  4. Burns148
    Jan 13, 2014
    10
    This my 3rd favorite album of 2013 behind Modern Vampires and Settle; so I am disgusted by this critic score. I hope its just because not many have reviewed it, because this album is so much fun but also well paced through at least the first 10 songs. I'll admit it falls off near the end, but has plenty to make up for that.
  5. Mab_987
    Dec 29, 2013
    8
    Despite loving the hits on their debut, I unfortunately never got around it. Fortunately a couple months ago I was lucky enough to win a vinyl test pressing from the band via a contest on their Facebook page. And Spreading Rumours doesn't disappoint. A lot of this album's appeal is similar to that of those hits. They're unabashedly fun, loud & infectious pop songs with a slight rawDespite loving the hits on their debut, I unfortunately never got around it. Fortunately a couple months ago I was lucky enough to win a vinyl test pressing from the band via a contest on their Facebook page. And Spreading Rumours doesn't disappoint. A lot of this album's appeal is similar to that of those hits. They're unabashedly fun, loud & infectious pop songs with a slight raw edge in the vocal/instrumental department that gives the band a more distinct sound.

    The album starts incredibly with “I'm With You”, which might be my favorite song from Grouplove up to this point. It spends the first 2 minutes just building & building, starting with some piano shredding & tom-heavy drumming to create a nice reverb-coated atmpsphere before dropping out & letting a fantastic synth-led pop song take over, going back & forth between minimal & bombastic without feeling too jarring, clocking in at nearly 6 minutes. I honestly had no idea the band could be this ambitious but it really works for them. Not to say they can't be just as enjoyable in the simple 3-4 minute pop formula, but I think it'd be interesting what would happen if they did more of that on the next album. From there it's for the most part a great set of tracks, for reasons other than what I mentioned before. In fact the next song “Borderlines and Aliens” goes into unfamiliar territory too (as far as I know), a dirty alt-rocker driven by great riffs & transitions from one extremely catchy section to the next. Meanwhile “Ways to Go” & “Shark Attack” find an interesting & natural way of incorporating electronics into the mix. They cleverly add a new dynamic, but not at the sacrifice of the band's best traits (at least to those who don't just dismiss anything that's not a “real instrument”). “Shark Attack” in particular uses that purely as a way of making the chorus a lot more engaging. I don't wanna name-drop every track here, so the rest of the album is basically a fun mix of memorable melodies & guitar riffs, fun upbeat vibes, and lyrics that come off sincere & charming, if a bit hard to decode at times.

    Admittedly I do have a couple minor issues with some moments. I'm not really a fan of “Hippy Hill”'s titular line “I'd rather be a hippie than a hipster” that can't help but find it a bit corny. “Bitin' the Bullet”, while it does have a decently catchy chorus, moves at this awkwardly plodding pace that doesn't really generate much energy or momentum for me. The nitpickiest thing I have to say is that the verse melody in “Borderlines and Aliens” is dangerously close to Nirvana's “All Apologies”, even though it's otherwise a great song. Also, it's not an issue necessarily, but like with what I said about Youngblood Hawke's Wake Up, I'd be curious would would happen if the male & female singers of this band (Christian & Hannah in this case) had more of an equal lead singer position, rather than one doing lead & the other doing backing. They're both very capable singers, and it's shown that Hannah can carry a whole song in the lead role as shown in bonus track “Girl”. Not saying every song should be a straight-up duet, but I dunno, it's something I've thought about. Overall though, I really enjoyed this album, and it's definitely a great full-length introduction to this band. I'm a sucker for a well-written & personality-packed pop song, and these guys have that pretty much mastered.

    Top 5 tracks: I'm With You, Ways to Go, Sit Still, Shark Attack, Didn't Have to Go
    Score: 82/100
    (Check out more reviews on my Facebook page That Non-Elitist Music Fan.)    … Expand
  6. mathmike
    Oct 5, 2013
    9
    I quite like this album. Every song has at least one part in it where I just can't help but think "Yeah, this is awesome". Every song seems original and there is no song that just seems generic. Also, with the exception of a couple of songs, they all seem like they are just as good. The album seems to have consistent quality for the most part.
  7. WadeVS
    Sep 18, 2013
    7
    Having perfected the art of making catchy indie songs, Grouplove simply do just that with 'Spreading Rumours', venturing out only in instrumentation (there are more synths on this album). There is little concept here and is simply a good soundtrack for a hipster party. It's good. That's all. Can't help but like them.

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. musicOMH.com
    May 27, 2014
    70
    They managed to produce a collection of songs perfect for the summer months [in second album, Cave Rave]. The same could be said of Spreading Rumours, which is another album that could just as easily provide the soundtrack to Summer 2014.
    Read full review
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Feb 18, 2014
    80
    Luckily, no amount of squelchy beats, dubstep bass, trip-hop crackles and gabba breakdowns can suppress their effervescent sense of melody.
    Read full review
  3. DIY Magazine
    Feb 18, 2014
    40
    Not a lot on Spreading Rumours makes sense. It doesn't match, even in its apparent desperate attempt to sound like the bargain bin of an Urban Outfitters.
    Read full review
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