The Veronicas: Hook Me Up
The Veronicas
Twin 20-somethings spit out poppy hooks, boring lyrics, and synth-filled pop songs that are both catchy and somewhat annoying. Sound familiar? It’s not t.a.T.u. It’s The Veronicas, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, with their sophomore album, Hook Me Up.
The Veronicas are the modern Avril Lavigne, edgy and angry throughout their album. Their best song, by far, is “Untouched,” the first track on Hook Me Up. It flaunts the vocal talents of the duo, and cleverly mixes pop synths, strings, and hooks for a strong and clever single.
“Untouched” isn’t the only phenomenal song on Hook Me Up. “Goodbye to You” and cleverly titled “Revenge is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)” are both catchy get-on-your-feet songs. The Veronicas bring their bite that is fast paced enough to get the listener onto the dance floor.
Disappointingly, the target age for The Veronicas (tweens and teens) shows through in the lyrics. “I’m sick of all my friends/girls can be so mean,” “Hook Me Up” whines, and the boorish song “Popular” notes the importance of superficiality: “And I get what I want, my name is my credit card/Don’t try to hate me because I am so popular.” It’s painful to listen to at best.
Despite some of the lyrics’ immature fallbacks, Hook Me Up has some adult content as well. Cheating, breaking up, and broken childhood fantasy swarm the rest of the album. The Origliasso sisters bring enough passion to the tough topics that it works. “Someone Wake Me Up” in particular is a particularly strong ballad that nods to the difficulty of an end to a relationship.
Hook Me Up is an album with strong vocals muddles with awful lyrics. For something catchy and easy to listen to, I recommend this album. It will also make a good gift for your 14-year-old niece.
Rating: C+
Recommended Songs: Untouched, Goodbye to You, Revenge is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were), Someone Wake Me Up
Toss These Songs: Popular