A tremendous leap forward from their charmingly ramshackle debut album, GRAND shows Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim creating genuinely tuneful and memorable pop songs out of their simple keyboard and drums setup. Each of these 11 songs, even brief shards like the under two minutes long "Spare Change" and "I Wanna," is filled with instantly catchy hooks, topped with Matt's playful lyrics and appealingly plain voice. Highlights include the super-danceable opener "Daylight," the clattering "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare," and the atypically reflective ballad "Turn This Boat Around."
"I'm feeling restless; don't slow down!" advises Matt Johnson during Grand, the hyperkinetic follow-up to Matt & Kim's hyperkinetic debut. Grand makes good use of that advice, sandwiching 11 songs into a half-hour blast of snare hits and bouncing, buzzing synthesizer riffs. Johnson handles the bulk of the vocal duties, singing every song in a nasal, nerd-chic tenor while overdubbing his own harmonies. Yet it's the chemistry between Johnson and his partner, drummer Kim Schifino, that largely fuels the band's energy, even if Schifino's presence is somewhat muted by the album's beefed-up production (which polishes her wild percussion into tight, precise beats -- not necessarily a poor decision, but far from representative of her live musicianship). Building off the template established by the band's debut, Matt & Kim aim for the middle point between sugared melody and punked-out swagger, making room for flourishes of stomp-clap percussion, dancefloor electronics, and jingle-worthy progressions. Grand isn't as majestic as its name suggests, with only a handful of songs moving past the anxious minimalism that permeated the last album. For returning fans, though, Grand provides a familiar brand of punk music for happy people, for lovebirds, for those who wish Mates of State had more swagger and less glockenspiel. ~ Andrew Leahey

Spin (p.82) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he love songs on their second album are for their home borough of Brooklyn as much as for each other."
Alternative Press (p.100) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Right off the top, the keys-and-drums duo make it clear they've picked up a trick or two since their caffeine-jacked, eponymous 2006 debut....Get ready to marvel at a dramatic leap forward that more than lives up to its title."
Billboard (p.33) - "[I]t maintains the spunk, high energy and carefree attitude that caught people's attention in the first place."
Paste (magazine) (p.57) - "The trademark drums, synths and handclaps, coupled with youthful exuberance and angst, resurface here."