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When MGMT sang ‘I’m feeling rough, I’m feeling raw, I’m in the prime of my life’, they summed up an entire generation’s mood. Their phenomenal debut album Oracular Spectacular demonstrated a self-awareness and lyricism beyond their twenty four years, expressing the tumultuous yet ecstatic time of your early 20s. Now, ten years on, the electro-pop duo are back after a five year absence with their new single ‘Little Dark Age’, the title track of their upcoming 4th L.P. which is rumoured to be released in early 2018.
‘Little Dark Age’ channels the darker side of the 80s with a sombre toned synth that transitions into a staccato dance beat reminiscent of Moderat, which is followed by the introduction of a heavy hitting drum and a nasally piercing melody that breathes worry and anxiety into the song. Caught somewhere between the emo lyrics of The Cure and the brooding synth of Depeche Mode, the song never really erupts into a bursting chorus, instead maintaining a steady pace, a catchy refrain, and a level of reservation that is matched by the melancholic lyrics and sinister baseline. The title is twofold, referencing current political and social turmoil (‘Policemen swear to god/ Love’s coming from the guns’), while also delving into their own personal demons, (‘I grieve in stereo/The stereo sounds strange.’) Simplistic at first, layers of electronica begin to intertwine combining to create an anxiety that replicates the coded and complex anguish of VanWyngarden’s lyrics. That characteristic reverberated vocals that have come to characterise the band remains, as Andrew VanWyngarden’s monotone voice sings of haunting demons and that darker side that we sometimes cannot shake.
‘Forgiving who you are
For what you stand to gain
Just know that if you hide
It doesn’t go away.’
As with the earlier ‘Time to Pretend’ the band seem preoccupied with the difficulty of pretending that all is well in a period of intense uncertainty, adopting a more nihilistic than sentimental tone than debut album Oracular Spectacular.
‘And the engine’s failed again
All limits of disguise
The humor’s not the same
Coming from denial.’
‘Little Dark Age’ is an exciting teaser of what is to come from a band who have mastered the balance between melancholy and electronica, and the ability to capture the essence of universal emotions in an intensely personal and relatable way. If the album follows this single in tone, expect a much darker album than before that moves away from the conditions of youth and approaches the topic of what follows after.
