The Singles Jukebox

Diving from a jetty of *FEELINGS* into a sea of twee…

[Video][Website]
[5.78]

Brad Shoup: Dobson processes her vocals so they’re just left of hollow. The organ and guitarist just want to do “Burning Up,” and I think we should let them. Everything else is a holding pattern until those two decide to get ebullient. 
[5]

Edward Okulicz: Effective disco-rock given an uncomfortable but formidable amount of Real Feeling! On the one hand, I like the emoting, but here it does get in the way of the hedonism of the song’s textures.
[6]

Iain Mew: I’m not particularly grabbed by the songwriting, but Jessica Dobson’s combined vocal and guitar tone give a St. Vincent-like sound an enjoyable spikiness. When she turns the word “how” into a roar and makes the guitar answer in juddering kind, that’s quite a bit of substance in itself.
[6]

Micha Cavaseno: Ohmigahd guys, its a cheeky farfisa riff, brittle scratchy guitar riffs, and drums riding the hi-hat and throwing in some extra percussion to be danceable. This formula hasn’t already been done to death or anything. Oh wait, the swoony pre-chorus emotional crescendo, while discussing eyes that can’t cry! YES! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR ALL MY LIFE SINCE I STOPPED WATCHING MTV2 AND READING SPIN. PITCHFORK WILL NEVER DIE GUYS, I MISS DOING KETAMINE AND FIGHTING WITH RICK. I’M GONNA MOVE BACK TO WILLIAMSBURG IN ’04, SCREW MY OVERWHELMING DEBT! Oh sorry, I got carried away with imagining who could appreciate this.
[2]

Juana Giaimo: Deep Sea Diver has the ability to make fun songs that still have a dark vibe — “NWO” is a great example. In this sense, “See These Eyes” is upbeat and has a catchy guitar riff, but when you listen closely, you discover a sense of trouble in Jessica Dobson’s unstable vocals. Her voice gets louder as she repeats “See these eyes, they don’t know how to cry” as if she wanted to convince herself that it could be true. Therefore, the final statement — “but they know how to burn you out” — sounds like a deserved trophy.
[8]

Cassy Gress: I don’t know exactly what you call this sort of post-disco Franz Ferdinand singing-in-the-bathroom genre, but I can tell that this is a good example of it, because of how crisp and sunny the guitars are. It’s not one of my favorite genres, though.
[6]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Proof that i’m such a sucker for sweet, reverb-laden productions and creamy, fuzzy bass leads. 
[7]

Patrick St. Michel: And people say indie rock is over…still hear pleasantly generic numbers with mandatory electronic touches like this, don’t you?
[5]

Alfred Soto: After an effortless intro — I’ve got a yen for guitar and organ harmonies — the bridge slows down to create unnecessary tension before a chorus. Then the organ and bass double dog dare each other before the return of guitar and vocals. Jessica Dobson did indeed learn the best tricks from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Shins. Also: Bowie-era Iggy.
[7]