Count The Chemical Brothers as the most recent of dance music’s elder statesmen to make a celebrated comeback amid the movement’s newfound glory, because the first few tracks they’ve allowed to trickle out from their upcoming album have been massive. The duo became avant-garde staples of the late ’90s big beat era, and despite their extended absence, they’ve proven ready and willing to put out relevant new music.
And indeed, “Under Neon Lights” is a stylistic update in all the right ways. It’s still The Chemical Brothers, but different – and not a bad different that would suggest they sought to give it more mass appeal, but a simple, natural progression from their trippy records of yesteryear. Analogue synth work and ethereal vocal samples build up to more experimental sections, as if the track itself were an exercise in traveling even further back in time from the group’s seminal releases two decades ago.
As The Chemical Brothers have set the release of their new album, Born In The Echoes, for July 17th, you can expect to hear further updates from the duo as the date approaches. Until then, tell us, what do you think of “Under Neon Lights?” Give it a listen and sound off in the comments!
