A Bad Girl in Harlem

We've all had this happen at one point in our lives: we hear a song, fall in love with that song, and enthusiastically buy the album including that song.  Sometimes we get lucky and enjoy the entire album while other times we are stuck with an inadequate beverage coaster.  The latter is the case with A Bad Girl in Harlem, the latest album from New Politics.  Two or three listenable tracks don't save this album from being an utter disappointment.

Originally from Denmark, New Politics formed in order to compete in a contest held by Danish National Radio in 2009.  After being named one of the winners, the band was signed by RCA Records and made their way to the United States.  Besides having their music featured in ads for Taco Bell and Dell, New Politics has been touring with successful groups like 30 Seconds to Mars, Neon Trees, and currently the reunited Fall Out Boy.  Although labeled as alternative rock, A Bad Girl in Harlem represents a shift towards the pop rock spectrum with its heavy post-production.

The letdown begins with opening track "Tonight You're Perfect" containing unoriginal lyrics catering to the female persuasion.  Mush like “I wanna fall in love with the stars in your eyes” makes me want to pierce my eardrums with sharp objects.  The band makes an attempt at a piano-infused ballad with "Stuck On You" that fails to a sickening extent with cheesy repeated lyrics.  Equally as uninspired is "Give Me Hope" which starts out upbeat but soon degrades into the same tired style that dominates the entire album.  At the bottom of the heap lies “Die Together” conducted in a mixture of speak-sing that is an embarrassing mess.  Basically, the entire work seems like a caricature of a good album so void of any respectable content that even the song titles read as cliché.

“Harlem,” the one song luring people to purchase this album, is currently doing well on the alternative rock charts.  Its catchy beat and chanting are the only things keeping A Bad Girl in Harlem afloat.  Like “Harlem,” the track “Goodbye Copenhagen” features a garbled voice effect at times and is representative of the overproduction on the album.  The band sounds good, let us hear them!  Prior fans of New Politics will like the bass-heavy “Just Like Me.”  As the loudest song on the album, it’s too bad the rest of A Bad Girl in Harlem couldn’t siphon off some of its energy.  If you like alternative bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Cold War Kids, you’re going to want to avoid this one.  Posing as rock, the album seems more suited for fans of Owl City.