May 7th, 2013

Words: Peter Quincy Ng

As time passes, comes the slow yet eventual realization that everyone grows up. Even the Finnish sister duo, LCMDF, which famously named their band Le Corps Mince de Françoise after their friend and former member Malin Nyqvist’s starving cat. Well not really to be exact, but sort of. While the childish name calling doesn’t exactly stop on their latest installment of “Mental Health Pt. 2” where the titles “Douche Bag” and “Loser Song” make their debut, acceptance and attitude seems to be the theme of the album. Like the cult-movie “Ghost World” (2001) starring Thora Birch and the then up-and-coming actress Scarlett Johansson, the sisters Emma (24) and Mia (22) dabble in the traumas of troubled relationships and not-so-distant pop culture nostalgia.

Opening track “Douche Bag” is silly yet edgy, kind of like calling someone a douche bag on the chorus that goes “You’re a douche bag baby! / I’m just saying: the city ain’t yours anymore” but digs deeper when a line references older sister Emma’s quarter-life crisis stating, “I was just a kid, who cares what people think / now I’m 23, it was time for me / it’s time for me / it’s my own responsibility / now get this together girl”. Following LCMDF’s cheeky opener “Douche Bag”, is a collaboration with Berlin-based indie pop/rock trio and labelmates Ballet School on track “Rationality”.  Another “letting go” anthem, “Rationality” is defined by its warm guitar feel and intermittent raps which split the vocal harmonies in this grow-up, smarten-up “call to senses” type of track.

While “Douche Bag” may be quick out to lash out at the loser types, “Loser Song” seems to be on the other end of the spectrum. This self-deprecating track is ironically the biggest winner on the album. With its gentle guitar skip and nostalgic 90s pop sound, the track is perhaps most interesting in the demonstration of LCMDF’s vocal performance. Sweet and sassy, LCDMF’s vocal performance which unfortunately is not often complimented enough, perfectly alludes to the second place finish of “Loser Song” - never being the coolest kid around and being “just friends” with all the boys. Closing track “Trippin’”, changes the theme a bit and is less about fitting in and boy trouble, but more of a teenage/young adult freakout track. An homage to all things LCMDF, the track like the duo itself is difficult to generalize which its genre-bending ways. Grungy, 90s-era rap verses and acid synths pulse through “Trippin’”in a sudden and abrupt end to the second installment of “Mental Health”.

While it may seem silly to call “Mental Health Pt. 2” the duo’s most evolved effort, in many ways it is exactly what pop music needs today. It’s the proof that growing up while not necessarily comfortable is something not to be taken too seriously and can be laughed at. You live, you learn, you forget and move on. Like today’s youth which reject conformality, LCMDF’s latest EP defies generalization, as it’s an album not exactly this or that – a perfect blend of sounds from the past, present and future. Its an album that doesn’t aim to be misleadingly cool, and that in itself is a sign of maturity.