YouTube superstars Karmin’s third release, Hello, has a groomed-for-success sound that highlights the duo’s programming and hook factory esthetic.
The Massachusetts duo (Amy Heidemann, vocals and Nick Noonan keys, programming) displays all the right moves and a plastic electronic-driven sound that thrives on mechanized arrangements and hyped, motor-mouthed catchphrases from Heidemann.
They sound “good” (in a technical sense) and are a perfect example of business savvy in the music industry.
The songs on Hello showcase all the latest trends, but (and this is a big but) something is missing here. By the time the third track (I Told You So) chirps along, it becomes glaringly obvious. The music is contrived and synthetic: There is no soul. Pop smarts and studio proficiency they’ve got, but they sound fake.
Heidemann can deliver a rap like a coffee- hyped Gwen Stefani but she does it too often.
Karmin is clever. Brokenhearted has all the hooks and sheen of a teenage dream mega-hit. The album is overkill in this area. It’s a hook factory intent on mass production.
Too Many Fish is a humorous bop tune with rote catchphrases spat out in rapid-fire delivery by Heidemann, a routine done over and over. Karmin shows restraint in the album’s length (only seven songs), but by then, that’s more than enough of this Barbie doll pop.
–– Dean Gordon-Smith is a Vernon-based musician who writes regular music reviews for The Morning Star.
