I listen to a LOT of new music, and I can say that there are many albums that sound great and fresh at first listen, completely win me over, but I never listen to them again and don’t miss them. Or when I return to them in 6 months, I don’t hear the same thing–I’ve moved on.
You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, the debut album of DFA 1979 was and continues to be one of my favorite albums of the early modern indie movement. Coupled with their debut, Romantic Rights, the dancepunk duo carved out a place between the sophisticated sadness of Arcade Fire and the romantic glam of The Killers. Since 2017, we’ve heard nothing from the band. And now comes “Is 4 Lovers.”
The new album is wholly consistent with their earlier sound, but has a little bit less of an edge. Nothing Death From Above produces can possibly be called “soft,” but songs like NYC Power Elite Part I give the listener space to breathe–while still insisting on movement dancing and shaking.
And I still find myself asking, “How the Hell can this wall of sound come from just two people?”
Like its predecessors, Is 4 Lovers is masterfully produced (by the band themselves), and has the same rebellious indie vibe. Its subject matter is more mature: Parenthood. Love. But still dancing.
I don’t want to say “this is their best since…” because I have so much love for DFA1979’s first two albums. But I’m tempted. Really tempted.
