Art is autobiographical, a snapshot of the moods and feelings of the artisan at a particular point in time. New albums, new EPs, new singles – they offer a telling glimpse into the psyche of band or artist.
If it's true that music is a facsimile of the self, then the history of Hot Chip is writ large in the singles that paved the way for each of their albums. Take the track that catapulted them into dance music's stratosphere, 'Over And Over' – its devilishly catchy beats telegraphed them as a band hopelessly in thrall to the dancefloor, as well as containing a few acerbic asides.
'Huarache Lights' then, the lead single from new album 'Why Make Sense?', shows that Hot Chip have matured further still. It depicts a band in self-reflective mode, pondering the nagging fear many of us feel as we become older. Slow-burning, and flatly brilliant, the track is a gradually escalating electronic hymn to impending obsolescence, that continues Hot Chip's knack of fusing the intellectual with the danceable.
It's not without their trademark humour either: fittingly, as lead singer Alexis Taylor sings the refrain of "replace us with the things that do the job better," he's edged out by a Daft Punk-style vocoder.
As if to reflect the lead single's preoccupation with ageing, 'Why Make Sense?' is a less energetic beast than their previous album, but this is by no means a bad thing. The beats are less propulsive, with a reduced reliance on stormingly catchy synths. The emphasis is now on melding smooth R&B grooves (exemplified on 'Love Is The Future') with funk-fuelled bass (see the sultry but wonderfully understated 'Easy To Get'), meshed together seamlessly by Mark Ralph's super-slick production.
'Why Make Sense?' may be a more stripped-back affair than previous efforts, but it still overflows with emotive pop hooks. The melodies reveal their splendour slowly though, unfurling over time ('Dark Night' and 'Cry For You'). It's an LP that rewards repeat listens, showcasing more than ever Hot Chip's amazing affinity for drawing on a vast collection of disparate influences.
The title track closes out the album in a swirling haze of glitchy, progressive electronica, offering further proof that Hot Chip thrive on a fusion of opposites. There's something fiercely emotive (singer Alexis Taylor's inimitable, buttery-silk falsetto) needed as a foil to the glacial electronic sounds – "Why make sense when the world around refuses?" Taylor intones as drums explode around him.
And, just when you really don't want it to, so ends another chapter in the ever-impressive arc of Hot Chip.
6/10
Words: Benji Taylor
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