Grouplove, Welcome to Your Life | Track Review 🎵

Grouplove’s latest single may hail from a forthcoming album entitled ‘Big Mess’ but “Welcome to Your Life” is the furthest thing from a mess.

Alternative band Grouplove returns after a three-year hiatus between albums.  The last time we heard from Grouplove was in 2013 when they were Spreading Rumours.  Those Rumours peaked at no. 21 on the Billboard 200, a significant “come up” from the band’s debut, Never Trust A Happy Song.  With forthcoming album Big Mess, the band is probably hoping they earn even bigger numbers with album three.

Before the arrival of the Big Mess, opener and promo single “Welcome to Your Life” comes first. The best way to describe “Welcome to Your Life” is bright and bubbly. In the good ole, happy key of Bb   major, “Welcome to Your Life” is optimistic as hell heaven.  In a general sense, the band seems to make the statement, make the most of life, even if it’s imperfect.  The chorus best captures this sentiment:

“Welcome to your life, yeah, yeah / I could be your fantasy, yeah, yeah / Welcome to your world, my girl / let it be your fantasy, oh yeah”

The verses are more pessimistic, perhaps the reason why the chorus arguably presents the aforementioned message.

“Mean man, promised land / nothing but a devil’s hand / trying to keep saying I feel okay…I’ve been nothing but a puppet’s hand / but nothing comes without a change”

So what exactly is Grouplove getting at? Change is a key word in the verses, while the chorus seems to embrace life and make the best of it.

Adding an extra element, the song also incorporates a relationship component.  This appears on the second half of the chorus, continuing in the post-chorus section:

“We’re back in business / you’re such a big mess / and I love you / yeah, I love you.”

So, that changes things a bit doesn’t it? Examine it merely from the perspective of a relationship and the dude is clearly flawed, tells his girlfriend that she’s “in for it.” She then states she doesn’t care that he’s “such a big mess,” because she loves him. Phew, that was a lot to take in.

Ultimately, “Welcome to Your Life” is clever – cleverer than expected.  While it’s fun and optimistic overall, it also has more depth than its given credit for.  A Big Mess? Nope. This is clearly on-point.  Well produced, well written, and captivating.

Grouplove • ‘Welcome to Your Life’ (Big Mess) • Atlantic • Release: Album 9.9.16

Photo Credit: © Atlantic