There is something I call music depression. It is an episode that lasts for several months during which the ‘’the patient’’ is unable to find new music that sooths his soul. At least once per year, I am this patient. Luckily, I still didn’t have this depressive episode in 2017.
Few years ago, in my massive search of new music to listen to, I have discovered Foxygen , a band who subsequently started growing. Today, many are expecting their new records, so there was a big celebration when Hang was dropped. Hang is their fourth studio album and it comes after a highly conceptual …And Star Power released back in 2014.
Just as its predecessors, the album contains one psychedelic retro story filled with dance rhythms and gleeful songs. With few promotional singles, especially with Follow the Leader, they have showed how the album balances between Bacharach’s pop and disco tempo a la Saturday Night Fever. Still, the best songs emerge when they step away from the early disco shtick. On Lankershim proves that they are great in psychedelic alt country.
The rest of the album is equally cute, especially because they are walking around additional genres that make songs even more attractive. Avalon makes you put on your dancing shoes and imagine you are in La La Land, while Mrs. Adams sounds like a pub version of Queen. The most grandiose number of the album is America that resembles Rufus Wainwright and Sufjan Stevens. After short mirthful Cave-like Upon a Hill comes forced Trauma that might be the most hideous track on the album. The album closes with Rise Up which concludes it all in a decent manner.
Foxygen have presented themselves a the new hope of American indie who like to experiment with their sound. Sometimes, those experiments have successful results. At other time, they are semi-conducted. As the majority of the songs on their fourth album is good, my final criticism is that they should have prolonged the album. It comes off as short timed. While Hang might not be a well-rounded smash like its predecessors, it is still an evidence of the band’s potential.
