Luke Slater

Produced by the man, the mouse, the legend that is Danger Mouse, No Social is the first offering off The Shortwave Set’s second full length ‘Replica Sun Machine’. Danger Mouse’s touches are certainly not far from the foreground with the bouncy bass driven sound that so characterises his production giving this track bottom-end boom.

Initially, it sounds as if No Social is going to be one of those horribly grating songs which contain some Super Mario-esque backing. Thankfully enough the Nintendo nostalgia only lasts for three seconds before an array of unidentifiable squeaks and screeches pitched against off-beat reverb laden keyboards marks the introduction proper. Nothing too musically interesting happens on the rest of No Social, and being honest, this song is a touch on the bland side. It is redeemed, somewhat, by a few neat embellishments courtesy of Danger Mouse.

No Social certainly appears to be a departure from The Shortwave Set’s 2005 debut The Debt Collection, swapping a spacey Beta Band-esque style for straight up pop sensibilities, while glimpses of the inventiveness of their debut are pushed to the background. Lead singer Ulrika Bjorsne states that “A dog dressed in clothes is still a dog” and that is suitably apt. For all of Danger Mouse’s good work, No Social simply falls short in too many areas.

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