The first thing I thought when I heard “Something I’m Not” was “this sounds like an 80s band whose name I can’t think of right at this moment.” When I listened to “The Worse it Gets,” I thought “IT IS SOOOOOOOOOO 80s!!!”
It’s seriously all in the synths of the two songs. Okay, I lied. It’s also in the singer’s voice. Doesn’t he sound like some 80s singer from Style Council or maybe even Duran Duran, particularly in the song “Rio” but higher pitched? The song “The Worse it Gets” really has a Hall and Oates feel (particularly their song “Your Kiss is on My Lips”). “Animal Animal” has a slowed-down Culture Club feel.
Essentially, Penguin Prison is an amalgam of various 80s electopop bands, creating a band that fits into today’s 80s redux pop culture that has brought back the Member’s Only jacket, acid wash, and spandex pants.