Hot Chip, One Life Stand

Hot Chip, One Life Stand [Astralwerks]

Reviewed by : Cooper Foyt

In the opening seconds of Hot Chip’s latest LP One Life Stand, we’re given a dose of a sleepy synth which is immediately reminiscent of an intimate church service in a tiny basement room. And while a lone synthesized intro is nothing new for a Hot Chip album, this one feels markedly different; more stuffy and mature, a little less on the frills. Of course this is all before the ground pounding kick drum enters front-and-center and gets the album going in a more familiar way, but the opening seconds prove to be an ample preview of the record that follows.

Hot Chip have been doing a lot of maturing since their last few albums and it shows on One Life Stand. The band has done away with most of the gimmicks that seemed tacked on to Made in the Dark as well as having moved away from the dance-heavy feel of The Warning. They’re still aiming to get you moving, but they’re also trying to get you to calm down and grow up a little. Much of the album focuses on a celebration of human love, finding comfort in the trust and reliability of a partner and allowing yourself to move past your own doubts.

The first few tracks off this album are amazingly strong both instrumentally and lyrically, offering a subtlety to songwriting that hasn’t always been a part of the Hot Chip repertoire. “Thieves in the Night” offers sage advice on being guarded with your love and to realize the differences between needing and wanting happiness, and the philosophical difference never feels obvious or unnecessarily vague. Next on stomper “Hand Me Down Your Love” we are given a bittersweet admission by singer Alexis Taylor: “I’ve known for a long time/You are my love life/So why can’t I be bright like my lover’s light?” The twinge of sadness in the chorus here is the highlight of the album in terms of subtlety and growth in songwriting abilities at full capacity.

The album’s title track proves to be its strongest; bubbling synths pulse along the steel drum-tinged verse before the heart-warming (breaking?) chorus fades into view. The emotional weight in Taylor’s voice here is incredible and it transcends almost everything else on the album. The moment is only enhanced when the music smoothes out into a graceful glide behind his confession. Unfortunately this dynamic and vibrant songwriting that exists in the album’s first third takes a back burner to a ballad-bloated midsection.

“Brothers” is pleasant in almost every way imaginable, sweeping arrangements, lyrics that represent a deep love that isn’t often broadcasts in music, and Joe Goddard giving us the subdued vocals we’ve all come to love, but the song just fails to excite on the album as is. Although this would probably be one hell of a song to sing amongst drunken friends and family, it’s simplicity ends up hurting the album as it moves into “Slush”. A song focused on the acceptance of growing responsibility that accompanies age, it lacks the emotional intricacies and emotional punch of the rest of the albums. This leaves the song feeling a little too contemporary bland and over-long when compared to the rest of the album. Sure, the song is based on a conclusion that ends the typically wilder and unfocused portion of life, and this logically would equate to a plainspoken, reflective song, but it doesn’t end up working.

This resigned feeling continues on through “Alley Cats” and “We Have Love”, neither of which are bad songs by any means, but they fail to shine in the sequencing of the album. They begin to feel like filler that lack anything unique to Hot Chip’s sound, the latter sounding like a Burial cover with a moody atmosphere traded in for a 90’s throwback sound.

Luckily the album’s final two songs break up the bit of monotony that plagues the middle. “Keep Quiet” is a down-tempo, murky, eerie piece of music that feels wholly new and refreshing. Here Hot Chip flirts with silence a bit more than they often do and the song benefits that much more for it. Closer “Take It In” is another wonderful track, finding a sly groove in a dark bass and a Mortal Kombat-esque melody. The song broods before launching into the unabashed chorus which triumphantly declares “My heart has flown to you just like a dove/It can fly, it can fly” without a hint of irony. It’s a bold and celebratory moment that serves as a strong ending to an album so concerned with love overcoming doubt.

Overall this album feels like a natural, if not a little disappointing, step in Hot Chip’s discography. The maturing lyrics are usually interesting and bring to light the little subtleties and nuances of life and their sound has synthesized their last 10 years into something focused and safe. This growth, however, seems to have come at the price of brilliant stand out tracks and a sense of fun. A bloated and poorly organized mid-section weighs down what is an otherwise excellent album. I can’t help but hope that their next album won’t try and re-embrace some of the quirks and gimmicks that made Hot Chip such an exciting band to listen to in the first place. C’mon OGs, we know you can still put out a tender and club ready jam.

Rating: 72%