More about: Django Django

British electro-alt-rock quartet Django Django describe their music as “little moments of thoughts and ideas,” made to be interpreted by the listener. The four-piece, who have built up a reputation for making genre-defying music that offers a momentary escape, do it again on their latest album Glowing in the Dark (out 12 February).

Rooted in themes of escapism, the record builds a world of much-needed musical reprieve in the present era of struggles. Speaking of the record and what inspired it, drummer and producer David Maclean, says “I think that the world was already in a bit of a mess even before COVID...and also, living in a city can be intense sometimes. We’ve always been into quite escapist art from films to books and paintings that have the power to transport you to another time and place [away from that].” 

A follow up to the band’s previous offering Marble Skies, the record – which Maclean describes as one of the band’s best – will appeal to Django Django fans just as much as to someone discovering the band for the first time. This not only because of its consciously versatile production, but also because it showcases an ability to weave engaging narratives without pushing any particular messages. 

Maclean explains: “I don’t think we have one message. Maybe we don’t have any messages. Life is crazy and there are no easy answers to anything so we just try to create songs that are little moments of thoughts and ideas...it’s really up to the listener to extract anything meaningful from them.” 

Writing music that’s equally for themselves and for others gives Django Django’s music a sort of fresh universality which simultaneously remains individual and introspective. 

Delving into the inspiration for their lyrics, Maclean says: "we take inspiration both from personal experiences and from the world around us. Everyone has their own lives and thoughts and issues but also everyone now is part of a global community because we’re connected through the internet. It can mean that your head can easily start to spin with everything going on.“ 

The band’s efforts to enjoy their music-making process means that they savour everything from the relevant themes and anticipatory atmosphere of tracks like 'Spirals' and 'Waking Up', but also find the most joy in simply making fun tracks with free-flowing musicality like 'Kick The Devil Out'. Maclean reveals that the latter is his personal favourite track from the album: "it was fun to make and fun to write lyrics for. I like the arc because I got to mess around and not worry about song structure.” 

This ability to be authentic and to continue to explore what interests them about music is what sets Django Django apart, allowing them to grow and prosper though they may gravitate towards certain types of sounds over and over again. Maclean agrees: "whether we’re making a dance track or a stripped back acoustic thing I think you can always tell it’s us.” 

With live shows around the world, well-deserved critical acclaim and a Mercury Prize nomination (for their self-titled 2012 debut) under their belt, there’s a lot for the four-piece to look back on. While they appreciate the honour of getting to travel the world on the back of their first album, it’s not what Maclean thinks of as their most memorable moment. Reflecting on how the littlest things make the most impact, he says: "if I think of the best times it’s probably getting to go to insane record and junk shops on tour in America or arriving in the studio to start a new track with a fresh page. Those are moments when I really appreciate that this is my job.”

Appreciating things in a world that makes it increasingly hard can be challenging, but with their new record offering “an escape from everything weighing you down,” Django Django reminds people and themselves to let go of stress and navigate things with optimism for a present stripped of unnecessary yearning, motivating and pushing towards a better future.

Glowing in The Dark arrives 12 February via Because Music.

More about: Django Django