Take a break and bathe in Hot Chip’s new album.
Famed as consistently inconsistent, Hot Chip have been one of the heavyweights of the indie dancehall for the last 15 years and have just dropped their latest full-length LP, A Bath Full of Ecstasy. Being the first time the London outfit has let outside producers touch their work, this album is full of steady beats with an evocative musical palette.
Opener ‘Melody of Love’ starts off the album with a beautifully euphoric rise, coupled with eloquent vocals from Alexis Taylor and poignant piano chords. Repetition rides throughout, but the catchy as hell lyrics perform exponentially with the instrumental.
Deep cuts such as ‘Echo’ and the longer ‘Spell’ present well produced beats but can appear to meld into a sea of electro that the album holds. Especially ‘Positive’, which feels like it was a track left on the cutting room floor of LCD Soundsystem’s last effort rather than a Hot Chip tune.
However, the lead single ‘Hungry Child’ is hands down A Bath Full of Ecstasy’s most club-worthy moment. Pulsing with exultant synth flourishes and the most memorable lyrics of the album, it is the capstone song on an applaudable endeavour from these techno dancehall legends.
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