The Fault in Our Stars is one of the most hotly anticipated film for the Young Adult demographic this summer. The plot revolves around Hazel (Shailene Woodley) and Gus (Ansel Elgort) are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
Yup, the kids are gonna eat this up. But, what we dig is the fact the film is producing a top notch soundtrack to promote the film. The lead single off of it is Grouplove’s “Let Me In.”
Nick Porcaro: It’s clear Grouplove wanted to create a singalong indie pop anthem with “Let Me In”, but the song’s featherweight hook isn’t up to this Herculean task. That “eyyyeah” sound at the end of every phrase certainly doesn’t help. The backing instrumental is blandly muscular, riding on a nondescript chord progression, and there’s too much space in between every musical idea for any of them to have an impact. About the only positive is the song’s vocals, impressively ranging from whispered and undulating to bombastic and piercing. This song does nothing for me. Verdict: One and Done.
Lisa Pikaard: If the musical aspects of Grouplove’s newest track were more full and upbeat, this could be a fun catchy pop song but…. it’s not. That “e-yah” pronunciation at the end of each line of the chorus, I just don’t get it. What is the necessity of that annoyance? Other than that, the vocals don’t bother me nor do the lyrics. In fact, “Let Me In” has a fun vibe and I want to love it but there is just too much missing. Honestly, the big shortcoming is the musicality. If the producer took the song and gave it a catchy guitar line or even a harder hitting drum beat and picked up the tempo of the instruments, this would be a song you could bob your head to and play loudly with the windows down in the summer. Unfortunately, they chose a minimalist approach and there is just no reason for me to play this song again. Verdict: One and Done.
Jason Stives: The best movie soundtracks don’t normally include a lot of music intentionally designed for the film but often this is a practice nowadays. Grouplove has been one of those shining moments in a lot of recent pop centric rock music over the past few years so including them on the soundtrack of a book to film adaptation of a beloved YA novel seems fitting. Now it’s far from the best thing they could produce and since it’s not really a proper single I’m more or less giving it a slide on its single capabilities.
The band utilizes many of the standard tropes of their success; Christian Zucconi’s in despair vocals, keyboardist Hannah Hooper’s soft spoken, pixie like singing, and a light on its feet chorus. It feels more like a mid level album cut from their most recent effort Spreading Rumours and I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the point of origin. It’s a dreamy track and a rather simple one to boot so its most likely placed very well in the film. I’m inclined to give this a thumbs up simply on its purpose as part of a soundtrack rather than a new single. It would do poorly as a single but it works for its soundtrack purposes and would be a nice filler to a spring/summer playlist. Verdict: Add to the Playlist
Lauren Stern: I’m normally the biggest proponent of Grouplove but “Let Me In” is disappointing. I hate to even say this because I am such a huge fan of this band’s work, but man it this boring. So boring that it’s almost borderline agonizing. I get that they might have wanted to do something different, but nothing about the song works well together.
Also, as a huge fan/reader of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I can safely say there’s a very obvious disconnect. It’s so uninspiring that the songs in the movie’s trailer , which have only been snippets of “oohs,” “ahhs,” and “that’s what you wanted,” are more representative of the story. That says a hell of a lot, considering this is supposed to be a featured number on the film’s soundtrack. Verdict: Sadly, One and Done
Al Mannarino: Since I first saw that iTunes commercial featuring their first big hit ‘Tounge Tied,’ I have been a huge fan of Grouplove. They’re not just a quirky indie band, they are incredibly unique and one of the biggest names in the genre. I was excited to hear that they made a single for one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, The Fault In Our Stars. Unlike most of my fellow writers I actually enjoyed Grouplove’s latest track. Usually when bands write songs for movie soundtracks they aren’t that great, but ‘Let Me In’ is classic Grouplove. Christian Zucconi’s vocals shine over a catchy drum beat. I can see this song being used for the end credits of the upcoming film, and I am excited to hear it. Verdict: Add to Playlist
Bill Bodkin: Hello, hit song of the summer/late-to-the-game promo anthem. Grouplove’s “Let Me In” is the type of song that just works on so many levels. It’s catchy as all hell, it’s got a sweet sentimentality to it and it definitely has a cinematic quality to it, making it the perfect soundtrack single. The Fault In Our Stars is going to be such a hit film and I feel that this song will be the anthem that leads the masses into it. It will be on every form on pop radio for not just the kids, but adults too. My mom will be singing this song by June, guaranteed. It’s a really strong pop song and so those of you who love quality pop with an indie edge to it, this is must-have stuff. Verdict: Add to playlist.
Final Verdict: We’re deadlocked! Some of our staff just didn’t dig this side of Grouplove, while others bought into this soundtrack single. We can’t give you a definitive yay or nay on whether to add to the playlist, so we’ll leave it up to you. Let us know if you’re adding this track to your playlist.
