Lacrosse – Are You Thinking of Me Every Minute of Every Day?

From the depths of Scandinavia, Lacrosse have finally come crawling out of a four year hibernation with their third album Are You Thinking of Me Every Minute of Every Day? Despite being a release laced with intense break up connotations, the LP still manages to be a jangly return to form for the modest indie sextet.

It all starts formidably with “Don’t Be Scared”, where a sweetly sinister refrain builds and chimes over a cataclysmic chorus of strings. Serenading the song away from lyrical darkness, the anthemic arrangement is just enough to soothe all the heartbreak and resounding honesty.

“I Told You So (Didn’t I?)” follows a more direct vein and is entirely defiant in its attitude from the off. A massive two fingers to the protagonist, a rambling love story unfolds to a thriving drum and guitar soundtrack littered with jolty breaks and frantic choruses. The adolescent exuberance of the riff makes it a heady tribute to frustration with an abrupt rawness at its core.

Twee is unexpectedly thrust the reins during “I Need Your Heart/I Need Your Soul”, where stinging words are sugared by sweet harmonised repetition. Vocals continuously clamour and jostle for position amongst a relentless 80’s synth loop, until it breakdowns into soft deep drums and a velvety bass line on its way out.

“50% of Your Love” carries a charged tempo as beats hail down from all directions. Comparable to Le Tigre, it chants its way through bare bass and wayward effect pedals before crossing into softer territory with “If Summer Ends”. Cajolingly gentle at first, the track slips into a kaleidoscopic journey of reflection and reawakening played out against birdsong and a cacophony of electronic experiments.

Title track “Are You Thinking of Me Every Minute of Every Day?” sits awkwardly at first for a lead, with the harmony jigsawed together at times. It does however find its feet as the instruments intensify into the climatic peaks the band cleverly master.

‘Give You More’ is another fast paced belter that bulldozes all kinds of noises into itself. A catchy guitar hook and an obligatory clapping section are all present amongst the wails of Theremins.

The album peters and rolls slowly out with “The Key” and “This is Not a War, No Winners No Losers”, the latter of which sees a lullaby melt and crash into wall of guitar distortion. Finishing the on whimsical lament, “Easter Island”, Lacrosse have no doubt taken a foray in the experimental whilst honing the indie pillars of plentiful guitar and dry drums.

With dark sentiments delivered candidly throughout, the album is entirely bittersweet as matters of the heart are translated into hits saturated with pop beats and wildly varied electronics. The band clearly have a chip on their shoulder, but in the case of Are You Thinking of Me Every Minute of Every Day? waves of punchy euphoric guitars have washed away some of the bitterness.