Miike Snow – ‘iii’ [Album Review]

Swedish/NYC trio Miike Snow has broken a three-year silence with their appropriately titled third album, iii.

Musically, it isn’t much of a departure from their previous outings with the band turning in another collection of electro-pop songs with a radio-friendly sound, the prime example being the first single “Genghis Khan”; a track that will doubtlessly be issuing from plenty of car speakers this summer.

But considering the band’s pedigree in crafting some of the biggest pop hits of the past few years for stars like Britney Spears and Bruno Mars, it should come as no surprise that this album is full of songs that are accessible while retaining a sense of underground cool.

The band once again keeps Andrew Wyatt’s soulful vocals front and center. Wyatt shows a sense of vulnerability on “Back of the Car.” He shows off his range throughout, but the album’s lead single “My Trigger” is by far the best example of his strength as a singer. “Feel the Weight” is another track that showcases Wyatt’s voice, even through a variety of effects.

Charli XCX provides the perfect foil on the electro-pop banger “There for U.”

Don’t expect anything too deep listening to this album; though a few of the songs have an introspective feel to them, for the most part, Miike Snow sticks to what they do best and turns in pop gem after pop gem. iii makes a token effort at depth but is ultimately a fun album.