Matt and Kim’s New Glow, released this spring, offers nothing new. Any song off Matt and Kim’s new album sounds as if could just as well have come from their 2009 album Grand. They use the same drums, the same horns, and the same keyboard. Their sound hasn’t changed over the span of five albums, and inertia is their biggest, most glaring problem. What was once original in 2009 is now boring in 2015. That’s not to say their music isn’t good. Their use of drum sets is still different from any other sound I’ve heard. Matt has a unique voice that is automatically identifiable. It’s great pump-up music, but that’s all it is, and all it has been for six years.

Their music consists of heavy drums (played by Kim) and typically some kind of brass. They occasionally include electronic components, such as in “Stirred Up” or “Overexposed.” Their best songs are the ones with the fewest instruments, the ones that are not just walls of sound and more stripped down, such as in “Killin’ Me” or “Not Alone.”

The most original songs on the album are the slower ones. Matt and Kim are definitely not known for slow jams, but on each album they have tried one or two. I appreciate Matt and Kim for trying to write songs, “The World is Ending” and “I See You,” that are different than what listeners expect of them. But neither of these songs on New Glow are that good. “The World is Ending” gets boring after about a minute, and “I See Ya” is kind of annoying. Matt’s voice is not as great without the heavy drums behind it. Matt and Kim seem to be a one trick pony. Matt and Kim’s music is certainly catchy but nothing can be catchy for six years.