I had no clue I was going to get so many new albums this early in the year! In fact, MGMT stayed pretty darn quiet about. It’s also crazy when I think about how long it’s been since Little Dark Age was released. But now, we have been given Loss of Life on their new label, Mom + Pop!
Full disclosure, this thing is slow from start to finish and that’s just not my bag. Maybe if I heard some of these songs one-off, or mixed in with some other tunes it wouldn’t have been such a dragging experience, but as a whole, I wasn’t a fan. I was really hopeful when Little Dark Age came out because even though it was still really different from anything they’d released prior, it was more upbeat and quirky. I thought that was going to be the direction they stuck with moving forward, but I should know better than to expect that from this goofy little band.
Instead, we got something fully different than I’ve ever heard from them. Yes, they’ve done slower tracks in the past, but nothing as thorough as this album. There were also a lot less experimental electronic sounds this time around, instead opting for acoustic guitar and even some brass instruments (weird, I know). Somehow though, even with this new sound they were able to embody a few different eras throughout the record. A very strong 70s vibe is apparent on their first single, “Mother Nature.” I was decently into this song and the accompanying music video was absolutely hysterical. This was so different though that if someone were to have told me to listen to this for the first time and name the artist, MGMT’s name would have never come up.
Another hilarious video came from “Bubblegum Dog,” which was just all around a very goofy song. This is the first time though that these guys almost looked their age to me. The pandemic was rough for everyone, I guess. They tackled another era, the 80s, in their song “Dancing in Babylon,” which is also quite special in that it’s the bands first song to ever feature another artist. It’s a good thing Christine and the Queens have vocals that go really well together with Andrew’s. The last minute or so of this song was really cool and was giving me very strong The Cure influences.
The rest of the album was fairly unremarkable to me. I generally noticed some really dark lyrics for songs that on the surface sounded more “light” and “fun.” Though I did like the lyrics in “Nothing Changes,” I actually would have been pleased if that song would have stayed strictly instrumental. While there were plenty of dark lyrics to go around, these guys are odd and silly, so of course a lyric of “nobody calls me the gangster of love,” is going to stay with me. Overall though, I just got the vibe that this was a band’s first attempt at making music together on a lot of these tracks. I’ve been in a more fast-paced mood recently, so take this critic with a grain of salt.
There are plenty of outlets out there saying this album is incredible, and I want you to listen to this with that attitude. Then you can just come back here if you agree with my take. All that to say that I would also totally go see these guys again if they go out touring! Though it’s not my favorite, a welcome back to MGMT is in order!