WhoMadeWho

When most people think disco, hazy scenes of ingrained clichés spring to mind, namely white guys in leisure suits on illuminated dance floors pointing fingers at rakish angles in the vicinity of a mirror balls while chubby DJs plays saccharine chart fodder with a 4/4 beats. Apparently, the perception of disco is changing in Copenhagen, as Danish power trio WhoMadeWho rip down the scaffolding of nostalgic naivety and present the bloody nosed, grabby hands, garbage bags full of cash, handguns-at-knife-fights side of disco house. Their aesthetic contains the spark of ingenuity happening in NYC, where punk ruffled disco's boa feathers. Bassist Tomas Høffding and guitarist Jeppe Kjellberg share vocal duties, laying down plaintive verses and liquid falsetto choruses while Tomas Barfod keeps it pumping on the drums. Paired with luscious synth pads and raunchy leads, the group's fourth full-length, Brighter, comes off like a more focused Matthew Dear album. Following up 2011's Knee Deep EP, the beats are less brooding and more funky and propulsive on Brighter while maintaining their presence and quirkiness under their ominous lyrics. WhoMadeWho even manage to make a song about divorce infectious; you've never had so much fun being depressed.