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Owen and Hobbs could have just rewritten their debut note for note, but instead they have chosen to take us on a journey that many of us know all too well. Here's waiting for the next instalment.
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Good news for those who loved the debut’s melodies: plenty of material on The Law of the Playground gives that luxuriant pleasure.
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As strong and unusual as The Law of the Playground is, especially out of step in 2009, it never quite feels as inspired, as fraught with conflicted beauty, as past songs 'Paper Cuts' or 'Be Gentle With Me' or 'Monsters.'
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The English duo's cheeky moniker implies some kind of inferiority complex, and while Owen is certainly not immune to wallowing, he spends the group's sophomore album examining loneliness and isolation through a number of different lenses.
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Boasting enough sugary banjos, glockenspiels, and handclaps to give a Teletubby diabetes, The Boy Least Likely To animate their softly sung indie twang with nonstop hooks, bright production, and gently acknowledged adult anxieties. Beneath lyrics celebrating balloons and whiskers lie bittersweet longings.
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Under The RadarPlayground is a charming enough sequel, tailor-made for calm Saturday afternoon respites under the maples. [Winter 2009, p.70]
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While the idea of artistic maturity might seem anathema to the very appeal of the Boy Least Likely To, Playground marks the pair's awkward first steps toward adulthood.
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Anyone who fails to see the appeal of men in their 20s producing nursery-rhyme cuteness will find The Law of the Playground deeply irritating, but connoisseurs of this kind of thing will be in heaven.
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A little less studio craft would have improved The Law of the Playground quite measurably and possibly put it on the same level as Best Party, since the songcraft and performances are nearly equal.
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The Brit indie–pop act is still playing with glockenspiels and xylophones, churning out cute, charming tunes. But this time, the lyrics are a bit darker.
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FilterTheir songs do run deeper than they seem, but you have to listen closely and push through fluff. It was cute the first time, but now it's just awkward. [Winter 2009, p.97]
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Q MagazineIt's all terribly cute and jaunty, with twee melodies and playground lyrics to the fore. [May 2009, p.107]
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Now, there’s nothing wrong with something throwaway now and again, but it’s difficult to stomach over the course of eleven tracks.