“We’re running out of luck/ I can feel the change/ Holding onto little pieces of what remains/ And was it not enough?” It’s a personal piece, one that stems from the band’s success of their debut album Tourist History which is highly regarded as representative of 2010s indie rock. Released as the second single to tease the album, the song focuses on how trends come and go before you even have time to process them. The fourth track, “Lucky”, strays from the positive attitude for a couple minutes to express the band’s feelings on the fast-changing world of pop culture. “Blue Light” follows, its summer-y guitar and consistent beat setting the tone for the rest of the album’s chill, happy theme. Keep On Smiling opens with an instrumental, synth adventure in “Messenger AD (Intro)”, a futuristic-sounding song that feels like the beginning of a dystopia movie.

Northern Ireland-born trio Alex Trimble (vocals, guitar, synth), Sam Halliday (guitar, vocals), and Kevin Baird (bass, synth, vocals) formed the band in 2007 and deliver a cohesive 12-track album filled with lively and upbeat songs that reflect on a sense of gratitude and awareness of how quickly time can pass in a blink of an eye.

Although the summer is coming to an end, the season’s upbeat and happy vibes are here to stay with the fifth album by Two Door Cinema Club Keep On Smiling, released on September 2, 2022, under Glassnote Records.

2 door cinema club genre