MGMT - Loss Of Life

MGMT are back (back!-and-indeed-BACK!!!) then. As you might expect, they’re not just dipping their toes into the waters of psych-pop - they’re diving in headfirst with their latest album, ‘Loss Of Life’. It’s been a hot minute since 2018’s ‘Little Dark Age’, but if you were wondering whether they’ve still got it, the answer is a resounding ‘yes, and then some’. ‘Loss Of Life’ is a technicolour dream coat, tailor-made for a generation that’s seen it all but still craves a taste of the extraordinary. The opening salvo, ‘Loss Of Life (Part 2)’, is a clear signal that MGMT aren’t content with rehashing past glories. Instead, they’re painting with all the colours of their palette, blending the familiar with the fresh, the nostalgic with the now.

The album’s centrepiece, ‘Nothing Changes’, is a swoon-worthy ballad that feels like a love letter to the days of yore, while ‘Dancing in Babylon’ — with a top-drawer feature from Christine And The Queens — hits that sweet spot between retro chic and future classic. It’s as if MGMT have taken the best bits of the 80s, sprinkled in some 21st-century savoir-faire, and cooked up something that’s both a homage and a bit of a revelation.

MGMT’s lyrical prowess has taken a turn for the introspective, with themes of love and life’s darker corners woven throughout the record. It’s a mature, thoughtful collection of songs that proves just how far they’ve developed since those days of catchy synth hooks and trippy visuals. They’ve got something to say, and they’re saying it with style.

‘Loss Of Life’ is a triumph, taking the essence of what made MGMT a household name and distilling it into something even purer and more potent. A six year wait well spent.