Mystery Jets - Serotonin

Serotonin is the third full length release from Chiswick-based indie rockers Mystery Jets. Following on from the critical success of Twenty One, Serotonin marks another sublte evolution of the Mystery Jets' sound.

Always a band to wear their influences on their sleeve, Serotonin seems to evoke by turns The Police (see the dreamy vocal harmonies of 'It's Too Late'), Kinks (the storytelling of 'Dreaming of Another World') and The Who (the Baba O'Reilly-esque intro to 'Flash a Hungry Smile').

But this isn't an album suffocating under the weight of it's creators' record collection. Instead Mystery Jets use these as touchstones around which they have built something that seems simultaneously contemporary and classic.

High Points

Serotonin opens on a high with 'Alice Springs', an ode to when love is so visceral it feels like a punch in the gut. With it's poignantly simple chorus "I'd stand in the line of fire for you / I'd bend over backwards for you / I'd do anything that you want me to do / 'Cos I don't have nothing if I don't have you, my love." Lyrically it recalls the Guillemots masterpiece 'Made Up Love Song #43', and Blaine Harrisons haunting vocals could almost be mistaken for Fyfe Dangerfield's.

Elsewhere the 80's synths on 'Show Me the Light' are a joy, while 'Flash a Hungry Smile' reveals an unashamed pop sensibility, which is a welcome inclusion.

The Verdict

Serotonin demonstrates the heights that Mystery Jets are capable of, but as with previous releases the band struggle to hit those heights consistently. The second half of the record trails off slightly and descends into familiar indie rock territory, but nevertheless it's well crafted, and always listenable.

Final Score: 67%