What do you get when you combine the naiveté of Fun.’s lyrics, Grouplove’s consummate cheery disposition, and the permanently joyous instrumentation of Apples in Stereo? Too. Much. Happy.
You heard right, there’s a band out there that takes charming and sweet to levels that not even I can handle. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who was disappointed by the newest Los Campesinos! record because it’s too depressing.
Recommended to me by my younger sister, I should have known what I was getting into with Rabbit!. The band’s exclamation point-suffixed name should have been the first hint. A quick look at Connect the Dots’ song titles should have been enough to warn me off (“Magic,” “Ladybug,” “Pea,” “Jellybean,” and “Candy From A Car 2” is what we’re dealing with here). Still, I ignored the warning signs in my never-ending quest for new music.
I really like that first sentence in this post, so let’s break it down a bit. There, I listed three bands that I’m fond of, known for being fairly optimistic in their music. Fun., Grouplove, and Apples in Stereo (the latter two I have Swole-Eared), are all known for their cheerfulness, but for different reasons. Fun.’s got the extremely optimistic lyrics, Grouplove’s got the chipper attitude, and Apples have the upbeat instrumentation. When all of these come together, what you get is a cutesy overload, one that brings cringes more than smiles. “I love your laughter/especially when it’s after/you make conversation/and I make silly rabbit noises in your ear” is sung with complete sincerity on the unfortunately-upbeat “Pea,” and “Fall Into Love” calls for all to be “A sling-shot astronaut” with “no gravity to stop,” because “you’re spinning, spinning like a top.”
As it turns out, my total possible jubilation is limited. Thanks to Rabbit!, I’ve been shown exactly how much.
Swole Ear 
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