Confidence Man - Don't You Know I'm in a Band

If making good smart pop is difficult, making good silly pop might be even harder. Nailing a track that is pure enjoyment for the sake of it, with no pretensions rather than having a good time, but that also posses superb musical qualities is a challenge that not that many are capable of achieving without, in one way or another, falling in basic pop clichés (either uo o uo's, lyrics about enjoying the party, or autotuning). So, the achievement of a band like Confidence Man is even bigger when they manage to compile a great silly pop album that never feels basic, repetitive or annoying, an accomplishment that we might have heard last circa 2008 with The Ting Tings' debut album (and their unfulfilled promise of revolutionizing commercial pop).

Above all, the success of Don't You Know I'm In A Band relies on the great channeling of references into a bubble gum pop canvas. There are traces of the funky groove of War's Low Rider, the unapologetic sassiness of Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy, and the hipster party vibes of LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk is Playing at my House, quite an unlikely selection of retro references, but in the 2018 reveivalist spirit, everything goes!

Shading pretentious people with big egos on the music business, the Australian band comes with energy and certitude, bouncing with joy and blasting colorful painting on the walls. It's a "give-no-fucks" attitude that feels so welcome in a world where even the lack of a political statement feels like a political statement (right, Taylor Swift?). Confidence Man, like their name suggest, is a bold band daring to be freaky in a way that is simple and imaginative at the same time.