You might have heard of The Big Pink from the catchy single “Dominos” off of their first album, A Brief History of Love. This track had a brief surge of mainstream attention when it was sampled in Nicki Minaj’s “Girls Fall Like Dominoes,” and, like most of this British duo’s repertoire, it’s electro-rock of the more indie variety. You know, the type defined by swirly synths and atmospheric electronica — in other words, U2 for the younger, skinny-jean sporting set.

The band’s sophomore album, Future This, while more produced and manicured in its sound, is more of the same.  Apparently, the band had some help from producer Paul Epworth of Adele, Florence + The Machine and Friendly Fires fame, and his mark is evident in the album’s more defined, tighter sound. The first track off the album, “Stay Gold,” has the sort of confident drumming that one finds in punk rock but with lyrics that are unabashedly encouraging and a chorus that sounds remarkably similar to “Dominos” in its exploding anthem-esque quality. While it’s refreshing to hear a band brave enough to show some positive energy (the tortured route is usually easier), the tone comes off preachy rather than inspiring.

The album’s first single, “Hit the Ground (Superman),” is it’s most radio-friendly track, but again, a closer listen would reveal the lyrics rather lazy and frankly uninspiring. (Lead singer Robbie Furze rhymes “friends” with  “plastic bags full of cans.”)

The rest of the album follows in remarkably similar fashion, with the same sort of soaring indie-pop chorus, which is bombastic at first listen but gets old fast. By “The Palace,” the album’s fourth track, it all sounds like more of the same, that is, a hackneyed attempt at transcendence.

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