SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MILKY CHANCE – LIVING IN A HAZE

Milky Chance
Living In A Haze
Muggelig Records

Milky Chance wants you to dance, and its latest album is an intriguing effort to capture what has made people dance throughout the 21st century. The German alt-rock outfit found fame across the world with its 2013 hit debut album Sadnecessary and continued to move strength to strength with two successful albums, Blossom and Mind The Moon, accompanied by a string of impressive singles and covers. With the groove that their latest project brings (a product of a vision appearing to evolve from Blossom), it marks a departure from the acoustic-centric catchiness that defined Sadnecessary. It nevertheless serves as a testament to the growth of a decade that has influenced them to explore more unconventional routes in their delivery of easy listening.

The disco-infused lead single, “Living In The Haze”, envisions itself as the backdrop for those ‘dancing the pain away’ – the hazy introspection of the perpetual partier, and an inner conflict mirrored by the album’s clashing tones. Tracks like “Colorado” and “Like A Clown” are made for the live sets, pleasant singalongs which emulate the summer that has begun showing its face. But where the band truly shines is when we reach tracks like “Flicker In The Dark”, featuring Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara’s rousing vocals in Bambara. Here, we see the band’s bluesy sound blossom through Malian blues and an overall global influence, a strength reflected again in the penultimate track ‘Feeling For You’ – the latter serving as a glittering culmination of their achievement in combining world folk and disco.

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