Sweet Thing’s self-titled debut album showcases the Toronto band’s ability to write catchy, repetitive, predictable pop songs about all the crap you care about when you’re in high school, while sounding like a blend of Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy, and All-American Rejects. Upbeat songs like Duotang and Over Me illustrate the frustrations of superficial young love and get stuck in your head for too long. However, their first single, Dance Mother is the only song on this album that I would listen to again for more than 13 seconds, only because singing the word “motherfucker” is fun. The entire album lacks cohesiveness and originality, and mostly just reminds me of other songs by other bands that I don’t even like but would rather listen to. Sweet Thing is a fun, danceable, mediocre first album that doesn’t excite, inspire or surprise me at all. See them Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the Garrick.

Published in Volume 65, Number 1 of The Uniter (September 2, 2010)