Off Planet

5thアルバム、2枚組で登場
4部構成でエレクトロニックなルーツに回帰
Isabelle Woodhouse、Self Esteem、Jack Penate、Toya Delazy などが参加

After four albums of consistently smart and divergent art-pop, Django Django shake things up with Off Planet, an ambitious, guest-heavy project that pushes them in new directions without abandoning their wily charm. Arriving two years after the reliable, if somewhat unassuming (by their high standards) Glowing in the Dark, the 21-song outer space-themed suite is partitioned into four EP-length sections, each one representing its own planet. Planets 1-3 were each released separately throughout the front half of 2023, then tied together with the fourth installment upon the full albums June release. The core of Django Djangos sound has always been the songwriting team of Dave Maclean (canny rhythmist and arranger) and Vincent Neff (chief melodicist, singer, and guitarist), who bring to the band a wealth of intriguing influences. Where earlier releases leaned more heavily into Krautrock, psych pop, and surf, Off Planet is ostensibly a dance record rooted in techno, rave, hip-hop, and other beat-driven styles. Built upward from a series of lockdown-era dance tracks that Maclean made in his garden-shed studio, the project soon morphed into a collaboration, not only between bandmates Neff, Tommy Grace (keyboards), and Jimmy Dixon (bass) but with a host of guest artists including Britains Self Esteem (the delightfully 90s "Complete Me"), South African singer Toya Delazy (the funky house cut "Galaxy Mood"), and Japanese rapper Yuuko (the standout banger "Dont Touch That Dial"). Tied together by the spacey ufology theme, the resulting collection is fresher and more fun than anything theyve done since their Mercury Prize-nominated debut. Even without all the top-shelf outsiders, the bands own songs are uniformly good, especially "Wishbone" and "Come Down," two lush cuts that are among Neffs most sublime vocal melodies. The instrumental dance cuts like "Osaka" and "Squid Inc" are equally exciting and unusual, with dips into jazzy lounge, worldbeat, and chamber pop moods. Rarely does a double album (or a quadruple EP?) sound so revitalizing, but Django Django somehow pull it off on their best release in years. ~ Timothy Monger