Two Door Cinema Club is back and almost unrecognizable in their new album, "Gameshow." It has been four years since the release of their second album, "Beacon." Between the album releases, the band spent time apart and recovering from their intense tour schedule.
When I first listened to the new album, I was disappointed because I was expecting to hear the same catchy indie rock tone from their previous albums. I became a major Two Door Cinema Club fan because every song on "Tourist History" was unique and catchy. "Gameshow" was a stretch for me because of its dark lyrics and disco tone.
Even though "Gameshow" left a bad first impression, I began to love it at second listen. Since the band has been through so much since they became successful, it is hard to expect their new music to sound the same. Their dark tone is even more apparent in their music videos for "Are We Ready (Wreck)" and "Bad Decision."
"Gameshow" makes sense in the context of the band's meltdown after endless touring and promotion for "Beacon." "We went through hell for years," vocalist Alex Trimble told the Irish Times, "We were on the road constantly... The shit hit the fan and we were not having a good time and we needed the time to recover and all the rest of it. All of that has gone into the record."
Trimble said that he would love to spend his time writing songs and recording in the studio, but the band must tour to be able to finance their albums. As a result, the band played hundreds of gigs a year and burned out due to the partying that goes on behind the scenes. Trimble became a full-blown alcoholic for 2-3 years and would drink before shows to deal with nerves. He played his first sober show this past summer.
In 2014, Trimble's bandmates flew to the US and brought him back to the UK where he soon collapsed and spent two weeks in the hospital because he was mentally and physically exhausted. The band was so caught up in the idea of achieving a dream that they didn't realize they were hurting themselves in the process.
The band was nervous about coming back together to record "Gameshow," but Trimble said it was "a big relief" that it was fun and relaxing to be in the studio again. In another interview, Trimble said he wanted "Gameshow" to be "an album completely free of the shackles and preconceptions of what a Two Door Cinema Club album should look like." With this new album, the band let themselves be creative and make the music they want to make.
While it is unfortunate that the band had a meltdown, I am relieved that they are making music again. Like many other fans, I'll need to get used to the disco tone of the new Two Door Cinema Club.
