Album Review: Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy

Electronic powerhouse Hot Chip are back with their new album A Bath Full of Ecstasy. It is the London band's seventh studio album, following their previous LP Why Make Sense? released back in 2015. 

 Album Art 'A Bath Full of Ecstasy' (2019)

The opener of the album 'Melody of Love', sets the record off to a good start. Full of harmonies and melancholic touches, it is definitely a sing-along heartbreaker of a tune. It's a song which explores finding small moments of hope in times of darkness and this meaning is reinforced through layers of synths and keyboards. The lyric "Do you have faith to feel in this world?" can truly resonate with the listener. Everyone feels that at times it can be hard to see the good in things and it can be difficult to have faith in people and the world, due to the events that happen day in day out.

If you are looking for the ideal song of the summer and a competitor for a festival anthem, it has to be 'Hungry Child'. A downtown house beat pairs up with the synth well, creating a track which will no doubt be blasted in clubs up and down the country, attracting many eager listeners to the dancefloor. The band mix old with new in this piece, going back to the days of 90s rave and veering away from their signature sound to create something quite different. It is clear that the band have taken a lot of influence from the iconic sounds of the 90s, updating and reworking the rave genre.

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The album is heavily psychedelic, offering up tracks which are just pure dreamy experimental pieces, exploring the theme of love and also reflecting on real life. On the other hand, some songs like 'Spell' pay homage to Daft Punk and have a nostalgic dance feel to them.

If you had to pick a song which sums up what this album is all about it would definitely be 'Hungry Child'. In the wake of the current political climate, 'Hungry Child' offers hope. It's about trying to find joy in this world, even if that appears impossible. A message about life is entwined in all the experimentation and tracks throughout the album, ultimately making it an album that people can relate to. Each track communicates the overall themes of the album, finding light in the darkness and the idea of falling in love.

Hot Chip will attract a whole new set of fans with their newly developed music, setting out to dominate the festival scene and to be our overall sound of the summer.

A Bath Full of Ecstasy is ambitious and a completely new concept for the band, along the way, however, they have lost a bit of what makes them recognisable. Although thoroughly enjoyable, it would have been nice to hear some of their signature sound turn up more frequently.

Hot Chip's A Bath Full of Ecstasy is out now on Domino.