Thankfully, the album never sounds like a retro pastiche, and instead the band has found a sweet spot between vintage cool and modern sophistication. In that sense, the metamorphosis from garagey post-punk to hip, R&B-inflected disco also brings to mind the similar trajectory of contemporary acts like France’s Phoenix and Canada’s Arcade Fire. While name-dropping influences feels a bit too easy for the high quality of songwriting on display on Gameshow, the enthusiastic nature by which Two Door Cinema Club have clearly gravitated toward these old-school dance club sounds is worth mentioning. That said, the lion’s share of Gameshow is filled with pulsing, neon-toned dance numbers that sound equal parts Giorgio Moroder and ’70s Bee Gees. Which isn’t to say they’ve completely abandoned their post-punk roots tracks like the ferocious “Gameshow” and the dynamic “Surgery” are a perfect balance of Scary Monsters-era David Bowie and Seven and the Ragged Tiger-era Duran Duran. However, where that album found them maturing with a softer musical palette and weightier emotionalism, Gameshow is a dynamic shift away from the buoyantly kinetic guitar-based approach of their first two albums.

Having garnered favorable attention for their infectious, dance-rock-heavy 2010 debut, Tourist History, the trio of singer/guitarist/programmer Alex Trimble, guitarist/singer Sam Halliday, and bassist/singer Kevin Baird immediately began expanding their sound on their follow-up, 2012’s Beacon. Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club transform into a glitzy disco and synth pop-infused powerhouse on their third studio album, 2016’s Gameshow.

Two Door Cinema Club - Gameshow (Glassnote Entertainment Group, 2016)

2 door cinema club gameshow album