Team Spirit
Killing Time
VICE
5/10
Team Spirit, the latest musical incarnation of former Passion Pit keyboardist Ayad Al Adhamy, shows that his pop sensibilities haven’t completely escaped him. His new project is still just as high-octane and energetic as Passion Pit ever was, but Team Spirit has some serious rock-and-roll grit to it—scrapes, mistakes, and all. There are plenty of boastful power chords and sneering punk vocals to knock you on your ass within Killing Time, from the opener “Surrender” to the more wistful “Cool Guy,” but the playful highs don’t last. The appeal of Al Adhamy’s youthful tenacity wears away quickly, and the pop-punk snarl comes off as bratty after the first few tracks. Killing Time sounds like the soundtrack to every high-school rager, but like those parties, the fun dies and the buzz fades pretty fast, leaving you with nothing but ringing ears and a splitting headache.
