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Picture a Polaroid of a kitten sat in a shoe by a cupcake. If you think that's the most twee thing you can imagine, then you might want to pick up the latest effort from She & Him.
Sickly sweet it may be, but as we've learned from their first two LPs and their delightful Christmas album, She & Him don't dabble in that faux-vintage simulacra of yesteryear that so obsesses the Instagram generation. What you have in the partnership of Monster of Folk M Ward and indie starlet Zooey Deschannel is a true labour of love for the rich sounds of early pop.
It has all the hallmarks of a swinging 60s pop record - including the obligatory covers in the form a swooning Phil Spector-esque doo-wop version of 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me' and skiffle re-imagining of Blondie's 'Sunday Girl' (complete with a verse or two in French... Hmmmmm).
Call it kitsch if you like, but none can deny the warming charm on the bouncing 'Together' or the sheer rockabilly wedding disco fun of 'I Could Have Been Your Girl' or the widescreen loveliness of 'I've Got Your Number, Son'. The whole record would definitely benefit from the fuzzy crackle of vinyl - in the best kind of way.
The album's centre-piece is the heartfelt piano ballad 'London'. As Deschannel pines "Oh London, where the clouds never go away - I keep my coat on from September 'til May," you're reminded that some things never change, including some staples of music.
Fairly mood-dependant, it could grow a little tiresome or find itself on some middle-aged dinner party playlist, but regardless of era and fashion and subtly spitting in the face of irony, Volume Three is an album to be enjoyed without pretence or prejudice as a nod to pop's sweeter and simpler moments.
