ALBUM REVIEW: Hot Chip – Freakout/Release is a Journey Back to Indie Techno

Created in London, England, indie-electric, synthpop band Hot Chip has been making music since 1995. The band, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Owen Clarke, Al Doyle, and Felix Martin released Freakout/Release on August 19, under Domino Recording Company, making this their 8th album. Hot Chip is known for taking inspiration from the genres of disco and house to amplify their indie-leaning tracks into something truly different. With Freakout/Release they take it a step further, merging together the powerful genres of indie-rock and electronic dance to produce a new sound altogether.

 

The first song, “Down” is immediate funk. It’s a soulful start that samples “More Than Enough”, an R&B song from Universal Togetherness Band. The groovy tracks sets the tone perfectly, getting you ready to jive along to the chill beats in the rest of the collection. The second song, “Eleanor”, showcases Hot Chip’s strong grip over indie/synth-pop sounds. Synth-ed-out instruments paired with clear vocals generate a new type of music, one that’s a combination of alternative with house in a captivating way. 

Hot Chip - Eleanor (Official Audio)

Hot Chip takes a journey back in time towards the middle of Freakout/Release, especially with “Freakout/Release”, “Broken”, and “Hard to Be Funky” (Feat. Lou Hayter) where everything sounds like it came from the 80s. The tracks are groovy and robotic, like the start of a blockbuster film you’re about to buy at Blockbuster Video. “Not Alone”, the fifth track on the album, delivers a danceable vibe with hard-hitting lyrics about realizing the flaws in those you’ve looked up to. “We raise our glasses in remembrance/ When only yesterday we took our chance/ How can I help you complete your song/ If all I do is get the meaning wrong?/ Anxiety can only kill a man/ If he always turns away the helping hand.”

“Miss The Bliss” is a song all about being connected to each other, and the band took that seriously since Joe’s kids and Alexis’ daughter helped sing in the chorus. “The Evil That Men Do”, featuring Cadence Weapon, is Hot Chip’s message to the men of the world, asking them to take responsibility for their actions in society. “Silence is deafening, press is unquestioning/ Pressure is deepening, leaders are unwelcoming/ Don’t know the cost, then you better pay attention/ Bear witness to the price of ambition/ Stare at the eclipse, even though you know the risk/ Lift your head, don’t fall in the abyss.”

The Evil That Men Do

Freakout/Release ends with a psychedelic take on “Out Of My Depth”, which fully encompasses the album’s overarching theme that there’s always someone out there to help you get out of the dark place you’re in. Hot Chip is an incredible band that’s been making music to their own indie dance sounds with a full band . The band is going on tour for the first time since 2019 and they’re sure to create an incredible night that reminds everyone that there’s always someone to help.

 

Hot Chip 2022 Europe TOUR DATES

8/23 – London, UK – Rough Trade in-Store Performance

9/1 – Torremolinos, Spain – Cala Mijas 2022

9/21 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

9/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

9/23 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

9/24 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

10/1 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

10/2 – Cologne, Germany – Live Music Hall

10/3 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique

10/5 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli

10/8 – Paris, France – L’Olympia

11/9 – Santiago, Chile – Teatro Caupolican

11/12 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque

11/15 – Woolloongabba, Australia – Princess Theatre

11/18 – Kensington, Australia – ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY

Hot Chip 2022 North America TOUR DATES

04/15 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Hall

04/19 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield

04/24 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

04/26 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom

04/27 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater

04/29 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues

04/30 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek

05/02 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl

05/03 –  Asheville, NC – Orange Peel

05/07 – Queretaro, MX – Pulso GNP

05/09 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

05/10 – Brooklyn, NY – Avant Gardner

05/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

05/14 – Chicago, IL – Radius