MGMT – Loss of Life
The Connecticut duo’s fifth release is a big, warm hug of a whimsical and wonderful return to form
After a decade of dwindling successes, 2018’s Little Dark Age saw MGMT return to the lofty heights not seen since their breakout debut, Oracular Spectacular. Now, on their follow-up, Loss of Life, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser’s hot streak continues with a record that’s as explorative as it is comforting like an old friend.
Whimsical melodies and warming hooks collide like a tender hug. Astute minglings of meaningful meditations cohabit with colourful hues of surreal wackiness; Mother Nature – a fresh yet familiar indie-pop earworm – sits boldly alongside Bubblegum Dog with its zany lyrics, video straight out of The Mighty Boosh, and guitars so fuzzy they’d make for a cracking pair of socks.
There’s even a subtle dusting of something sonically Ziggy Stardust on People in the Streets, I Wish I Was Joking, and the existential, ethereal beauty that is Nothing Changes, twinning elevated psych-folk with huge, shimmering choruses. Moreover, Christine and the Queens marks MGMT's first ever feature track with the gorgeous dancey 80s ballad, Dancing in Babylon.
It’s varied, it’s vibrant, it’s wacky, it’s experiential. Loss of Life, contrary to its title, is brimming with the stuff and serves as unmistakable evidence of MGMT’s continued renaissance.
Listen to: Mother Nature, Bubblegum Dog, Nothing Changes