More about: Chairlift

Pulling elements and inspiration from their stomping ground of New York City, Chairlift’s third full-length record Moth promises to show-off the duo’s emotional side - while embracing pop more than ever before.

It comes as no surprise, that the tracks featured on Moth are the band’s most accessible to date - in the downtime following 2012’s Something, Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly wrote and produced the track ‘No Angel’ on Beyonce’s self-titled record.

‘Moth To A Flame’ highlight’s the duo’s ability to achieve this mainstream appeal – the track has that much potential to fill nightclub dancefloor, it almost sounds like a Calvin Harris collaboration that’s been transported back to the 1990’s. The instrumentation however is much sharper and interesting than those straight-up dance and pop influences. Bursts of saxophone and synth appear on ‘Polymorphing’, which boasts a combination of bright guitars, crisp drums - striking resemblance to early Phoenix, while lead single ‘Ch-Ching’ is jam-packed booming sub-bass and harsh hip hop beats.

A bad day ending with a packed-out rush hour commute is enough to push the best of us over the edge, and single ‘Crying In Public’ exposes Polachek’s vulnerability as she travels around the Big Apple on the verge of a breakdown: “tell me what kind of monster I’ve been today”. Despite this undignified situation - it’s a cool and collected ballad which sees Polachek apologise for “causing a scene” in the presence of fellow commuters. The R&B-influenced slow jam ‘Show U Off’ unashamedly sings the praises of a new love interest, as Polachek vocal abilities are stretched to new heights.

On the whole, Moth proves Chairlift are more than capable of crafting pop music with unique flare. The album beams with confidence and breezes past with coolness and addictive hooks, creating a mood infectious enough to pull us out of the January slump.

Chairlift will play Scala in London on Wednesday 9 March. For tickets and more information, visit here.

More about: Chairlift