Album Review: Hot Chip - In Our Heads

When the rather unassumingly youthful faces of Hot Chip arrived on the music scene in 2003 with their debut LP Coming On Strong, many were surprised by their ability to perform a face-melting live festival set. There was also palpable excitement about the movements they were making in the genre of electronic music. Three albums later in 2010, many Hot Chip fans thought this was it; One Night Stand would be the climax of their talents, an album that spanned pop, house and indie genres and entertained even the most purist electronic music aficionados. But now comes In Our Heads, the latest release from music's favourite nerdy dance group.

Motion Sickness, the opening track, creates an easy transition between One Night Stand and In Our Heads, utilising similar infectious disco themes and repetitive percussion, synth and tuba riffs. As the album continues, the impact of fame and media criticism becomes evident in their lyrics, especially in Night & Day as their renowned comical element turns stern for a fleeting moment in the obvious light of musical and physical maturity. One of the highlights of the album, Flutes – a simple techno tune – provides some of the albums most basic pleasures, seven minutes of toe-tapping and head nodding beats.

The album floats away towards a rainbow of proverbial sentimentality with two very minimal slow jams, Let Me Be Him and Always Been Your Love. As the album closes you realise that Hot Chip have a certain 'je ne se quoi' that defines their music and sound. They are a unique, autonomous group, unrestricted by genre paradigms, and they have managed to create an aesthetically pleasing piece of fluid art once again.