Caught in an awkward place between the dance-rock cool of Ireland's
Two-Door Cinema Club and the earnest over-production of forgotten '90s English boy band
BBMak,
Rixton are at their best when they're being delightful or ridiculous, as the moments in between can be a bit boring. Produced by
Benny Blanco, Robopop, Rob Golan, and
Steve Mac, and featuring writing contributions from such ubiquitous contemporary pop luminaries as
Ed Sheeran,
Mike Posner, and
Matchbox Twenty's
Rob Thomas, the group's debut album, 2015's
Let the Road, is a slick, somewhat dull, but occasionally invigorating listen. Centered around the resonant, lad-about-town lead vocals of Jake Roche,
Rixton are a lot like
One Direction, if
One Direction sounded more like
Maroon 5. It can't be stressed enough that, both to their credit and to their detriment,
Rixton sound like other bands you probably already like. It's certainly to their credit on cuts like "Me and My Broken Heart," "Speakerphone," and "We All Want the Same Thing," which soar through your ears like skillfully constructed heat-seeking missiles of radio-ready pop. Also redeeming are such admittedly insipid, if cheekily infectious pop aperitifs as the
Bruno Mars-ish "I Like Girls," and the very '90s,
Color Me Badd-esque, take-us-seriously-cuz-we-can-really-sing opening a cappella title track. Just look out for middle-of-road generic balladry and anthemic dreck like "Appreciated," and the unnecessary
Coldplay soundalike "Whole," where
Rixton's chameleon-like abilities begin sounding like a copy of a copy of something that wasn't that great in the first place. ~ Matt Collar