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Jun 21, 2019 Hot Chip By Michael Watkins

It seems that there are a lot of bands out there at the moment (The National, Spoon, Destroyer) who are a considerable number of years and releases into their career and yet to deliver an objectively poor record. With the release of their new studio album, A Bath Full of Ecstasy, this also continues to be the case in the career of Hot Chip. This is a band that have grown exponentially since the bare-bones indietronica of their debut record, through their best releases of 2010’s One Life Stand and, in particular, 2012’s masterfully-conceived In Our Heads, to now find themselves still at the business end of the industry after nearly two decades in the limelight.

Opting for quality over quantity on this new album, Alexis Taylor and co. have delivered the shortest record (in terms of individual tracks) of their career. These compositions run for no less than four minutes at their shortest and nearly seven minutes at their longest, ensuring that all of the nine cuts feel fully realized and appropriately expressed. Stand outs include the lead single “Hungry Child” which, containing the bulbous synths and flamboyant beats that it does, is tailor-made for the dance-club circuit; opener “Melody of Love,” which sees Taylor deliver one of his best and clearest vocal performances to date; and mid-album beauty “Positive.” All contribute to an overall album experience the likes of which Hot Chip have become so adept at creating.

It has been quite a while now since these likely lads have delivered a truly game-changing record, but then again that isn’t really Hot Chip’s purpose. They have been put on this planet to create beautiful, awe-inspiring packages of synth pop and alternative dance, a charge that A Bath Full of Ecstasy more than delivers on. (www.hotchip.co.uk)

Author rating: 8/10