SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOT CHIP – A BATH FULL OF ECSTASY

Hot Chip
A Bath Full Of Ecstasy
Domino Records

A Bath Full of Ecstasy is Hot Chip’s stimulating seventh album and a new chapter in the band’s career. It’s fresh, exciting and the first time that the band is working with producers Philippe Zdar (Cat Power, Beastie Boys, Phoenix, Cassius) and Rodaish McDonald (The XX, Sampha, David Bryne). Although the record is filled with bliss, it communicates the notion that there are hardships to get to the end goal of happiness.

The track “Spell” has an ‘80’s synthy vibe along with post-disco keys that transport listeners to a “Miami Vice” era. It’s a spiraling kaleidoscope that you can’t help but bop your head to. This is in contrast to “Bath Full of Ecstasy”, a very melodic, vocal-focused, emotion-provoking song. The auto-tune adds a different flare that allows the song to be modern and vibrant. As we progress through the record, we get to “Why Does My Mind”, an intergalactic atmosphere of colours in a floating, spinning world. It’s one of the band’s more emotional songs, with its lower-droned hum that makes you slow down and contemplate.

Hot Chip’s A Bath Full of Ecstasy is vibrant, colourful, and full of emotion, but woefully feels like a familiar trip – not bad, but well known, leaving some listeners wanting to experience a different high. The album sounds similar to what you’d hear in a low fi modern indie club, with the same upbeat strike, as the songs tend to follow the same beat. The tracks are unique to Hot Chip, however the lack of inventiveness can sometimes leave listeners craving a deeper or more extraordinary experience.

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