Hurts - Surrender Review

Manchester duo Hurts have made a name for themselves as an act who have defied mainstream sounds of the moment and focused instead on their dark, brooding breed of synthpop that has sparked intrigue and enjoyment for their loyal fanbase. However, as they return with their heavily anticipated third studio album Surrender, it is all too clear that they have had enough of being on the outer echelons of the music industry and want to be fully accepted in to the mainstream.

While this decision may alarm some of their uber-cool fans, the alarm bells should not be sounded just yet. Although the duo's third studio album is a lot lighter sounding than their first two efforts, it is no less enjoyable. Even though they may have aligned their sound more closely to those that dominate the radio airwaves currently, they have simultaneously stayed true to the sound that set them on the route to stardom in the first place.

The panging demands of Why has echoes of Pet Shop Boys at their most commercial. Boasting a repetitive refrain that will be stuck in your head for days, it is synthpop designed for mainstream appeal. However this is not all that Surrender has to offer. The flamboyant bombast of Some Kind Of Heaven see Hurts shine, while the funk drive of latest single Lights also proves rather irresistible and the awesome Slow provides the album highlight.

Yet there are occasions on Surrender when the duo step too far away from their definitive sound to succeed. The EDM drive of Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us is frankly far too paint by numbers to be taken seriously. Kaleidoscope feels far too much like an album filler and Perfect Timing would have been better recorded in the mid-90s by the boyband du jour.

Surrender may not be Hurts' finest hour, but it is far from an album to overlook. Hurts may have switched up their formula but Surrender shows that when they get it right, they are pop perfection.