4/10

After releasing their super glossy debut album 'Our Own House' back in 2015 MisterWives quickly found themselves as the quintessential pop-rock band. With a mass of catchy anthems and easy-to-digest direction, the band were obviously tipped for big things in the future. Well now, the future is here and the band have returned with their highly-anticipated follow-up 'Connect The Dots', a record that hasn't really looked to move on from its predecessor.

But that isn't to say that the band haven't taken on a more contemporary influence. Take the album's opener 'Machine' for example, a track that has clearly been inspired by the recent move of dancehall beats into the commercial charts. Yet despite some clear intentions to try something different from their debut release, they always end up coming back to the same old formula, creating a collection of tired, disposable pop anthems that are forgotten almost instantly after listening.

The problem this album finds itself in a lack of tongue-in-cheek pop gloss or a serious disposition, meaning that the listener has very little to engage with throughout the release. It simply plays through and ends without making much impact along the way.