Album review of Jacuzzi Boys' self-titled CD

I recently gave a listen through the new Jacuzzi Boys' album, which comes out Sept. 22 through Sub Pop Records.

On the band's Facebook page, they describe the album, saying "It’s like that movie you once saw. The one with the boy and the girl and the plastic lounger on the beach. “Be My Prism” was the invitation. “Black Gloves” and “Double Vision” the promise. “Dust” was the rising tide. “Rubble,” the dirty uncle. “Hotline” was the lightning storm, and “Ultraglide” was the ending, the part where he drove her home with the windows down.You remember you liked it. It stayed with you while you swam alone in your pool that night.

Right off the bat, I found that the album doesn't take a whole lot of thinking to digest. It's light, breezy and smooth. It has a light bit of rock solos and riffs to it, but not enough to make you feel like you're listening to anything but alternative pop-rock. 

In a way I would describe it as a take on the "Big Me" era Foo Fighters. 

I felt it a little too simplistic at times. Other times, I felt like it had just enough of the elements to make the sound work. 

In a way making an album is a bit like cooking a meal. You have the ingredients, the cooks, the equipment and the skill/experience of the people making it happen. 

With "Jacuzzi Boys," the cooks seem to be talented enough to make some decent music. But, don't expect a Led Zeppelin-like complexity to the tunes. 
Whereas a band like Arcade Fire might be Julia Child, the Jacuzzi Boys are more akin to Rachel Ray. 

Some of the highlights for me are "Heavy Horse," "Hotline" and "Rubble," which might be my favorite track of the album. I found myself listening to it two or three times in a row.

That was in contrast to "Domino Moon." The song has some heavy riffs and aggressive pacing, but they're kind of negated by the overly laid-back vibe from the vocals.
I found myself wishing there was more angst in the singer's approach

 Then, finally, on "Ultraglide," there's still something that feels a little off about the vocals matched up with the music. It's got that very lo-fi feel to it. I think that sound can make your band seem endearing. Some of the songs on this album, it does. On this song, it sounds a bit amateurish.

If I were summing this album up, I'd say first and foremost, this is good-time music. 
The artwork, too, is a trip. The cover art is probably the funkiest I've seen in a while. There's really no way to describe it with words, but you can see for yourself here: 

 The handwritten linter notes on the inside and cursive track listing on the back makes it feel very indie/hipster. It's like one of those albums that's unheard-of listening to on anything but a record player. 

As far as the music goes, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these songs on the soundtrack of a romantic comedy or two.
 But, as far as advancing the genre, this album doesn't do much in that regard.  Maybe the next album they'll try some more risks and take things to different places that you might not expect. 

The potential is there, so I'll definitely have my eyes on what these guys end up doing next.