Big Troubles

New Jersey's Big Troubles quietly squeaked out Worry, a loud, distortion-heavy debut through Olde English Spelling Bee in the tail end of 2010. Though it was widely overlooked, it sounded as if they would capitalize on the lo-fi boom of the past few years. One year later, they've signed to Slumberland and given almost every facet of their music a complete makeover. In fact, Romantic Comedy should come with a sticker reading, "Forget what you think you know about Big Troubles." Produced by the great Mitch Easter (Pavement, R.E.M.), the four-piece have dropped the noise, programmed drums and droning melodies for the kind of straight-laced indie pop their new label built its reputation on. Anyone familiar with Worry might find the transition a difficult adjustment upon the first few listens, but the band have made a wise choice to clean up their production and hone their songwriting. Overnight, they've become a group capable of writing fat, juicy hooks that bounce off the newfound jangly guitars and saccharine vocals of Alex Craig and Ian Drennan. Two examples of this, "Sad Girls" and "Misery," have already proven to be a couple of the year's finest pop songs. But Big Troubles have made an entire album of these numbers, giving your ears candy to suck on from beginning to end.