El Perro del Mar – Love Is Not Pop

El Perro del Mar – Love Is Not Pop

It’s easy to become infatuated with certain songs and albums, thinking of them as “ours” after repeated listening. That’s why people’s knickers get in such a twist when they hear their favorite songs in tampon commercials and One Tree Hill episodes. While this may be nothing more than snobbery, one could argue that it’s also some form of twisted, shallow love. It may not be the healthiest kind of love, but what do you expect? It is only pop music, after all.

On El Perro del Mar’s third (“mini”) album, Love is Not Pop, Sarah Assbring sings indifferently but sweetly about heartbreak, farewells, and prolonged bouts of weeping – all of which are well-worn topics in pop songs. Despite this, there’s a somber, mature tone to the songs that give the somewhat trite lyrics an edge. Besides, the love described in pop songs is often trite and cliché, but it’s usually the singer’s intent and level of sincerity that elevates it to something more. El Perro del Mar’s brand of honesty is simple and clear, and when she morosely sings about lying in someone’s “heavenly arms,” you can’t help but suspend your cynicism and just go with it.

Letting go of any immediate pessimism seems to be a key factor in enjoying Swedish indie pop, and once you do, the world is suddenly a beautiful (albeit still imperfect) place. Opening track, “Gotta Get Smart,” is a prime example of this. Through shimmering melodies and a bird-like “doot doot doot” chorus, El Perro del Mar decides to leave a steady relationship behind for good. As always, the contrast between the cutesy tunes and miserable lyrics is effortlessly done. This disparity is a running theme throughout the album, seen on songs like “Let Me In” and “Heavenly Arms.” She never shies away from slightly formulaic expressions and words, but the melancholy tone implies something deeper hidden among such stock phrases. These are pop songs, and yes, they are about love – but they’re not the kind of fluff you’d find on the local soft rock station.

The love El Perro del Mar sings about is not the kind of love often seen in commercials or One Tree Hill. It’s depressing and ends in soul-crushing despair. In other words, it’s probably too realistic for TV. On the forlorn track, “It Is Something,” she cheers herself up with a good cry when suddenly, the song blooms into a quietly cheerful, synth-infused celebration of the perks of heartbreak. It’s one of the few hopeful outbursts in the album, and a nice reminder of what kind of love with which we’re dealing. It’s not pop. It’s not happy. But it’s something.