Yet as simple as the group’s goals may be, unfortunately for these native European devotees of dance rock, all this feel-good sincerity is inevitably lost in translation when it is so difficult to get any enjoyment out of the album. Though the overzealous, rave-inducing energy can find a few comfortable moments of musical wallop (thanks largely in part to having two drummers and some unique synth effects), 3.000V-40.000W‘s ruination comes courtesy of lead singer Deu Charcartegui and his abrasive vocals.
Repeatedly growling lines of broken English, his grating projection hardly ever seems in step with the music’s direction. Half of the time one can’t even understand what he’s saying-not that one would want to.
Whether he’s having a flashback confessional about having sex in public places (and possible rape) in “Supermarket” or just coming off as an overall sleaze in “Txusma Remix” (“I need to touch your ass”), Charcartegui regrettably makes We Are Standard come across like some dirty foreigner cat-calling your girlfriend while you’re standing alongside her. Your better judgment will tell you to avoid the possibility of any confrontation, but mostly you just want to sock him in the face.
– Mike Hilleary
We Are Standard (Minty Fresh)