Four years on from their last record, 2015's Why Make Sense?, Hot Chip have reconvened, bringing in outside producers to create A Bath Full of Ecstasy.
The record is a pulsating collection of songs that at times embraces joy, yet also asks underlying questions about the significance of our experiences of love and loss. The insistence of "Spell," which draws from house, combined with lead singer Alexis Taylor's skilful pop melodies transforms the lyrics — "Now I feel your curse / It's all that I wanted / A memory in reverse / Forever I'm haunted" — into an invigorating refrain.
The band have created a body of work that swings from "Hungry Child," a four-on-the-floor ode to dark Chicago house, to tracks across the record's latter half that encourage moments of reverie.
Nearly two decades as a band haven't caused Hot Chip to stagnate — these songs feel like they're still searching for meaning. A Bath Full of Ecstasy provides hope within strife, encourages repeated listens as much for their danceability as the quality of the writing.
(Domino)The record is a pulsating collection of songs that at times embraces joy, yet also asks underlying questions about the significance of our experiences of love and loss. The insistence of "Spell," which draws from house, combined with lead singer Alexis Taylor's skilful pop melodies transforms the lyrics — "Now I feel your curse / It's all that I wanted / A memory in reverse / Forever I'm haunted" — into an invigorating refrain.
The band have created a body of work that swings from "Hungry Child," a four-on-the-floor ode to dark Chicago house, to tracks across the record's latter half that encourage moments of reverie.
Nearly two decades as a band haven't caused Hot Chip to stagnate — these songs feel like they're still searching for meaning. A Bath Full of Ecstasy provides hope within strife, encourages repeated listens as much for their danceability as the quality of the writing.