GROUPLOVE- ‘I WANT IT ALL RIGHT NOW’ | ALBUM REVIEW
November 3 | Written By Lauren Ketterl
It’s been two years since the American alternative rock band Grouplove dropped a new album, but their latest release from earlier this summer has yet to disappoint.
Forming in 2009, Grouplove was established after lead vocalist and keyboardist Hannah Hooper met the band’s other lead vocalist Christian Zucconi in Manhattan, NY after hearing him play in his former band ALOKE. She invited him to join her on a residency in Greece where the rest of the band met, eventually reuniting in Los Angeles, where they started making music together. Since then, the group has put out six studio albums and two EPs. Grouplove released ‘I Want It All Right Now’ on July 7, 2023, with this latest drop being their sixth studio album.
The new release follows in the footsteps of the band’s previous work, reflecting their history of indie pop and alternative rock-based songs. The group dropped the singles ‘Cheese’, ‘Hello’, and ‘All’ before the album as singles. Containing a mellow start, ‘All’ is the perfect opening song for the album. The song addresses the constant need to want more than we have and seek validation instead of finding what we need within ourselves.
Sticking with the deeper message theme, ‘Cheese’ takes on a Pixies feel while addressing the challenges of people being their worst critics. Lyrics like “I’m trying to stay out of my own damn way” validate this internal battle of being our own worst enemy. The songs ‘Eyes’ and ‘Tryin’ stick with the gloomier side of focus on the themes of love and fighting to make the world a better place.
Track four and the last of the singles, ‘Hello’ is the most upbeat of the songs on this album and exemplifies the band’s track record of producing iconic alternative dance hits, such as their song ‘Tongue Tied’ which went no. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in 2012. ‘Hello’ is a light-hearted, upbeat song that digs down into the feeling of loneliness and feeling lost.
This album takes you on an emotional journey of questioning your wants in life and comes to a full-circle moment with the final track ‘Wall’. With the album title like, ‘I Want It All Right Now,’ and having a song about sitting on a wall saying, “I’m just sick of all this” along with “Rock and roll, no, you won’t save me,” shows that although you might want it all right now, sometimes the right choices exceed having everything.