By Alex Bakken-

Grab your sunglasses, pack your sunscreen, and make sure you’ve still got your summer weekends all freed up, because Two Door Cinema Club has done it again!

I have been a fan of Two Door Cinema Club since their debut album, Tourist History, came out in 2012. What began as an obsession with all things indie rock quickly developed into an all-out infatuation with any song that Two Door Cinema Club released. Their inextinguishable energy mixed with a clear love for music and raw talent was like a shot of espresso straight to my bloodstream. When I say this is a no-skip band, I mean it…and they still have yet to change my mind!

Two Door Cinema Club’s fifth studio album, Keep On Smiling, continues their unbreakable line of bangers—with a new twist. From the opening notes of “Messenger AD (intro),” I knew I was in for a real treat. Arising from a soft silence was not their typical quick guitar riff or a rousing drumbeat. I stood in the center of my living room in absolute awe as I soaked in the new sound, trying to figure out what the band had planned for me next. And then it hit me, it was SYNTH! I listened to track after track, the band’s classic elements of indie, rock and pop all layered perfectly over a brand new synth foundation. Their classic shot of espresso had been doubled, and my dial was turned up to 11.

This album is tailor designed for the summer. It’s a windows down, volume up, “no shame in taking the long way home” concoction that only gets better with each new song. The energy created at the beginning of the album carries over perfectly, infecting you with…what’s the phrase the kids use these days?…pure vibes!

“Blue Light,” “Lucky,” “Wonderful Life” and “Feeling Strange” are just a handful of tracks that had me uncontrollably grooving in the driver's seat of my car. If it weren’t for the perfectly timed slower tunes like “Millionaire,” “High” and “Disappear,” I swear I probably would’ve combusted from the energy that was shooting through me.

Two Door Cinema Club has created a no-skip summer album that rivals the likes of Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” and Calvin Harris’ “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2.” I mean it when I say you do not want to miss this one. But don’t just take it from me, give the album a listen when it drops on Sept. 2. Meanwhile, I’ll just Keep on Smiling.