Synthpop duo Chairlift releases new album Moth


By
 in ,

In their third album Moth, synthpop duo Chairlift explores dance vibes through upbeat melodies and synths layered with strong drum beats. Moth is an evolution of Chairlift’s prior 2012 album, Something, showing the group’s versatility used in making a strong, pop-inspired album.

Moth is weird, but it’s also the ultimate heartfelt album, hyperfocusing on that special someone and longing for an unrequited love. Each track is cohesive with one another, making it symbiotic in its entirety. It took a few times to get used to the album because of how in-your-face each song is, but with singles like, “Ch-Ching” and “Romeo,” this album had more ups than downs.

Through a jazzy approach, accompanied with tribal beats and a bit of sensual ’80s sounding vocals, Moth is definitely different from Chairlift’s prior discography. If one were to morph St. Vincent with the likings of HAIM, then you’ve got Chairlift’s lead singer Caroline Polachek vocalizing over funky and psychedelic instrumentals.

Chairlift should receive credit for taking a cliché love story and making it their own. Each song shows some similarity, making it cohesively strong in instrumentals and in vocals, and though similar, each track had its own spin, whether it with the use of synth horns or Japanese instruments.

There is a subtle variation of all types of sounds going on throughout the album. From drum rolls in “Unfinished Business” and a little bit of saxophone “Polymorphing,” to oriental-themed sounds in “Ottawa to Osaka,” these fragmented instrumentals show an added innovativeness to each track. With this, each track successfully fits together like puzzle pieces. Along with this, Polachek has a strong range in her voice and she is able to showcase this from start to finish. Along with that is an element of repetitiveness throughout the whole album that is only able to work well because of Polacheck’s lyrics and versatility in her voice.

Some favorites from Moth include “Polymorphing” and “Moth to the Flame.” The overall album is meant for one big dance party and the essential soundtrack to have while chasing after the love of your life. To conclude the 10-track album, Chairlift closes with “No Such Thing.” This song specifically demonstrates a softer angle than the previous tracks but holistically wraps up the album in an eloquent way.