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 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.”
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