Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?

Previously, Hot Chip have represented a symbiotic musical relationship, a salvo of club beats and sharp synths mixing with sultry vocals and touching lyrics. However, on this record, Why Make Sense?, it's the human side that takes precedent. This manifests in many ways throughout the album, but is most clear on the song White Wine and Fried Chicken, a R&B pastiche featuring a Vocoder voice track. That's not to say there aren't moments where their dance influences shine through, with single Need You Now boasting a killer sample of Sinnamon's 1983 track I Need You Now, making it an instant party hit. While there are good dance tracks on here, very few reach the heights of Need You Now, often becoming repetitive, or stuck to one idea. Started Right has a catchy chorus and Dark Night has dark, disco vibes but both are hit and miss, perhaps trying too hard to blend genres, instead of letting it come together naturally. This is consolidated on the last track Why Make Sense, which blends the two styles, with soaring synths and tender 'oddball's lament' lyrics. On this album, Hot Chip try new genres but unfortunately don't try anything stratospherically different.