The Laughing

The Laughing

Tiger Cry

When faced with personal, unavoidable failure, it's best to ease the awkwardness with an amusing aside or a whimsical witticism. Such is the case with Austin's latest blog bust, the Laughing, a derisive local quartet that disguises its mediocrity and melodrama through a series of ill-fated gimmicks – an animal fetish, neon signs, matching turquoise face paint and white denim vests – that would make even David Bowie cringe. The band's debut EP, Tiger Cry, is a six-song cycle loosely based around their stuffed mascot, Svan ("Lions Can't Fight," "Wait Until He Roars"), that guffaws with brooding synths and generic guitars to create goofy dance rock. Along with Logan Middleton's vocals, whose gaiety recalls the annoying half of Wolf Parade, the Laughing falters most with its ridiculous instrumentation, especially on the album's painful, seven-minute title track, which uses the baritone sax and theremin like props in a Siegfried & Roy show. Seriously, the joke's over.