Dirty Projectors - Lamp Lit Prose

David Longstreth is done writing about the past. Where Dirty Projectors’ eponymous record reflected on his relationship with former bandmate Amber Coffman, their ninth full-length offers up an optimistic look to the future of the group.

‘Lamp Lit Prose’ is alarming buoyant. There’s a consistent euphoria to it, reminiscent of Arcade Fire or Vampire Weekend’s early cuts. The first single from the record, ‘Break-Thru’, couldn’t be more fitting. That’s not to say he’s entirely let go; there’s familiarity in his yelping vocal on ‘That’s A Lifestyle’, but the rest of the record is a rebirth.

‘I Feel Energy’ is particularly jubilant – despite the intricacies of the production, it’s the album’s big banger, and feels truly primal in how it urges you to dance. Even tracks like ‘Zombie Conqueror’, that begin more sombre, thrust you into something much heavier thirty seconds in.

There’s a sweetness to the second half of the record. The trio of love songs, ‘Blue Bird’, ‘I Found It In U’ and ‘What Is The Time’, provide entirely different vibes while maintaining the naivety of first love.