In Our Heads

A parting of the ways from EMI might have suggested something amiss in the Hot Chip camp. In fact, In Our Heads may be the London techno-moochers’ finest moment yet. It’s a record that builds ambitiously on the last dance poignancy of 2010’s One Life Stand, upholstering the melancholy with busy grooves and melodies that aim for the jugular. Opener ‘Motion Sickness‘ is a camp disco ditty; with its stabby keyboards and ‘80s pop throb ‘Don’t Deny Your Heart’ is cheesy listening illuminated by singer Alexis Taylor’s lost boyscout croon. They may never repeat the success of ‘Over & Over’ or ‘Boy From School’ (which has just popped up on The Simpsons of all places). Instead, In Our Heads suggests Hot Chip have developed into one of those old dependables you can count on to put out a worthwhile LP every 18 months. Let’s hear it for consistency.