3 out of 5

Label: Un je-ne-sais-quoi

Produced by: Manu Laffeach (recorded by)

Further tropical-flavored twee from a group of musical weirdos from La Terre Tremble!!!, Borja Flames, and Bleu Shinobi, led by fellow weirdo Eric Pasquereau.

While more tonally textured than the group’s debut, Claptrap’s sophomore release trawls through much the same waters with the same limitations – Pasquerau’s incredibly pleasant sing-song and the fay, quirky pop of the music tends to sit in a kind of general range and pace that’s damnably fun, if weightless. Tracks effect a really wild click-clack of strange instrumentation and percussion, set to vaguely bossa nova beats, but even as choruses soar and the music layers more and more, it still somehow sits at the same level of intensity, and volume.

But what’s new here is the indication that there is something more: ‘Adulting’ was an appropriate album title as a kind of representation of what someone (or a band) thinks a particular “thing” should be – an adult; an indie pop album. “Second Guessing” similarly rings true in that Claptrap turns towards some moodier melodies, picking at the round sound of the preceding album ever so slightly. Lyrically, the bouncy poetry is focused quite a bit on the falseness of many modern technologies (though we’re a bit behind the curve, as every adult is), and that perhaps lends some nerviness to the overall sound, resulting in at least one track – Starve Your Dog – that feels like it pushes beyond the definitions Claptrap may have lain out for themselves and twists and turns the tune into something that actually evolves and builds upon itself, making use of all the instruments and musicians in its credit list.

The remainder of Second Guessing doesn’t quite achieve that on another song in totality, but it’s there, seeping through the edges of opener Shrug Emoji, or Buyer Persona. While I sincerely don’t require moodiness to be part of the equation for music I enjoy, it’s adding texture here, and however Claptrap can maintain or add to that texture on a following release, I feel like it could only strengthen the undeniably enjoyable experience all the more.