After almost five years of radio silence, MGMT returned to the music scene with the release of its fourth studio album, Little Dark Age, which was released on Feb. 9, 2018.
The band’s frontman duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser spent the last few years apart and worked on the album mainly through e-mail communication, according to a recent Rolling Stone article. When they finally reunited, the pair fell back into a familiar rhythm and let their pop influences shine through.
As the album name and title track suggest, this is the band’s foray into dark, deep synths that add a heavier touch to their music without sacrificing the psychedelic sound that launched them to fame back in the mid-2000s.
If you’ve been a fan of MGMT since their Oracular Spectacular days and the peak popularity of hits like “Electric Feel” and “Kids,” you will most likely love this new release from start to finish.
The first song on the record, “She Works Out Too Much,” is a comedic and all too relevant commentary on dating in the digital age. VanWyngarden tells the story of an app-based relationship that failed because, from his side, the woman worked out too much — and from her side, he didn’t work out enough. It’s set against a punchy electronic track that sounds straight out of the 1980s (think “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship) and will be stuck in your head for days.
If you’re itching for another song about #millennialproblems, be sure to listen to “TSLAMP,” short for “Time Spent Looking at My Phone.”
The striking drum beats and crowded electro noises feel like they’re crawling into your brain and taking over, just like the addictive hits of dopamine we all crave from our smartphones. Walk around Temple’s campus with this song echoing in your earbuds (if you can stand the irony) and take note of how many people are glued to their screens as they pass by…try not to feel like you’re in an episode of Black Mirror, I dare you. Â
As poppy and catchy as the album is, the band contrasts upbeat instrumentals with lyrics that feel unsettling and almost wrong at times. Nowhere is this more evident than in “When You Die,” which places a sunny, oriental-esque backing track against phrases such as “Don’t call me nice/I’m mean and I’m evil” or “Baby, I’m ready to blow my brains out.” This song is one hell of a dissonant listening experience, that’s for sure.
Although some of the tracks on the album were written in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election in 2016, it’s not all doom and gloom. Personally, two of my favorite songs are “Me and Michael” and “James,” both of which are dreamy pop confections that, when paired together, serve as heartwarming odes to friendship. The subject of the latter song is James Richardson, the guitarist in the live band lineup. VanWyngarden sings, “If you need a friend, come right over/Don’t even knock and I’ll be home/The door is always open.” Can you say BFF goals?
It may seem easy to write off Little Dark Age as another piece of vapid pop music, but I believe it’s one of the most important pop records to be released in recent history.
The nature of the lyrics juxtaposes sad jokes and the unapologetic rawness of reality with the simple, feel-good escapism that has always been a core part of MGMT’s sound. With this album, the band proves that it can delve into dark, electronic depths while maintaining its signature brand of upbeat psychedelia. Whether you’re in the mood to contemplate the world or you just want to leave it all behind, listen to Little Dark Age and prepare to float away in a daydream.