Canadian indie rockers Hot Hot Heat are all fired up on their fourth album which is full of high-energy tracks. But the name of the title track, Happiness Ltd, is an apt summary of the contents.
The first line of the song is 'Happiness is limited but misery has no end', exactly describing the feelings aroused by listening to this album.
While energetic, the album is musically mediocre, with the majority of songs sounding like something we've heard before.
The band seem to be stumbling in the dark on this album.
But, luckily, it's not a total write-off - there are several noteworthy tracks. Originally featuring on their EP Knock Knock Knock, 5 Times out of 100 is a great song to dance and head-bang to.
Harmonicas and Tambourines has a late 80s dance vibe to it. Give Up? is a strong Brit-rock number with an inkling of Pink Floyd and Dire Straits, giving it a pub/football anthem feel and making it hard to resist singing along to. But those are the only songs worth a second listening.