What you need to know:
After a six-year absence, MGMT is back with “Loss of Life,” an album full of psychedelic and melancholic moments.
Almost 20 years after the introduction of Time to pretend (2005), EP that would bring them worldwide fame, MGMT is releasing only its fifth studio album called loss of life (You can watch the conversation we had with Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser about this here), other than that 11·11·11 (2022), a live performance at the Guggenheim Museum set to music for an exhibition by Maurizio Cattelan.
The creators of “Kids”, “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” are clear about this Nowadays they are a deeper band than in their early days and they have no intention of becoming mainstream media stars again.. Especially since then Little Dark Ages (2018), we noticed that the duo chose to talk about complex and existential topics and the truth is that they succeed beautifully.
For loss of life – their new studio album – MGMT collaborated with Patrick Wimberly (Chairlift, Beyoncé, Lil Yachty) on the production and they maintain the sound of their last album, which we have since deemed phenomenal Psychedelic pop at times dealt with themes such as space rock and modern ballads also come into their own very well..
MGMT brings the magic of the eighties into the new millennium
MGMT shined with an album that has a great influence on the eightiesin the famous Power ballads and a melancholic feeling that is also reflected in it Ballads that we can only describe as space folk and psychedelic.
The clearest example is the excellent collaboration with Christine and The Queens in “Dancing in Babylon”, that makes us dance with longing lyrics. The video is on the same level as the song and seems like an eighties hit like “Time After Time” or “Total Eclipse of the Heart”., with a production of this century.
This ode to the eighties is also reflected in Ballads by People Space that questions what we do in this world and what meaning our lives have. In particular, The second half of the album leaves us floating with enormous atmospheres based on synthesizers and even brass on analog and digital percussions. that have the intention of transporting us to an earlier time.
The immensity of space as inspiration
From the beginning of the album, MGMT showcases a broad sound with effects from Hall on almost all instruments. “Mother Nature” is a reflection on a recurring theme of the duo, the journey of a character who must convince another to join his mission. In a way, the chorus is a homage to sounds like Oasis’ huge choruses, but with a permanent psychedelic touch.
There is a connection between life on this planet and the vastness of space loss of life, when Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser share what they observe in their realityas it happens in “People on the Street” a sad report about what is happening in the world,
This is in contrast to “Nothing changes” an existentialist song that speaks of the divine. With references to constellations and the myth of Sisyphus, we notice a lot of symbolism in this song.
The fun part of this MGMT psychedelic adventure comes with “Bubble Gum Dog”, Another self-deprecating song in which they question the fact that people think too much about the meaning and usefulness of art and that it’s not all bad to have fun with light pop or not-so-deep art by acting as Symbol of a dog used motif for this song.
This album has no forced moments and no songs that feel like filler.. From the introduction “Loss of Life (Part 2)”, The space travel that MGMT invites us to is not in vain, with 45 minutes full of surprises and excellent production.
The duo raffled off the physical versions of the album like the big boys, and the prismatic vinyl in particular seems to be a must for fans and collectors of this band (you can read all about it on their official website). And definitely, We are still waiting for Andrew and Ben to return to our country (after that failed concert with Tame Impala and Clairo), Therefore, the release of Loss of Life is a good excuse for them to play here again.
