Despite being French and despite the ever-changing musical trends, The Penelope(s) have a truly regressive sound, reminiscent of early 90s Brit pop. And while the majority of Brit pop is my musical kryptonite, never have such mundane drum patterns and bland digital synth loops sounded so emotive. The opening track on the Penelope(s) Priceless Concrete Echoes, ‘Stuck in Lalaland’, is merely a twangy bassline layered with echoing guitar and synth fills. Arguably the highlight of the album, ‘Demian’ features Dierdre’s eerie harmonies and a spectral synth arpeggio. ‘Sabotage’, a cover of the Beastie Boys’ original, follows the trend of simplistic instrumentations with a dark, grimy synth punch and syrupy vocals.

Considering it is the Penelope(s)’s third studio album, one might expect a little more variation in Priceless Concrete Echoes. With one primary stand-out track in ‘Demian’, Priceless Concrete Echoes lacks the energy of a great album and is nearly void of cohesiveness, aside from the largely unchanging drum patterns. All good narratives have a beginning, middle and end, but somewhere between the second track and the eleventh, emptiness is born from one mediocre track to the next. The closing track, ‘Your Plan for Happiness’, is an uplifting final hurrah, a supportive bookend to an album lacking cohesiveness and identity through its middle. In one word, Pricless Concrete Echoes is consistent, taking few risks and lacking variation. However with that in mind, there is something to be said for consistency, and the Penelope(s) surely have their methods down pat.

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