Hot Chip

“Now that we’re older, there’s more that we must do,” claims the chorus of “Slush,” the sixth track of Hot Chip’s eagerly anticipated new album, “One Life Stand.” These lyrics may well have been the mantra guiding the album’s creation, because with their fourth studio record, the British electropop group’s ability to integrate seemingly incongruous elements into a single fluid masterpiece has finally come to full fruition.

On “One Life Stand,” Hot Chip debuts a newly stripped-down aesthetic that effortlessly combines soulful ballads with synth effects and electronic distortion, juxtaposing simple, romantic lyrics with dance beats that wouldn’t disappoint a fist-pumping Jersey Shore guido. Where previous tracks incorporated gimmicks like the jarringly self-referential lyrics on “The Warning” or the inexplicable two minutes of grating synth noises on “Shake a Fist,” the tracks on “One Life Stand” replace them with a new, fully developed sound. This new direction features subtler synthesizers and an expanded instrumental palette, capitalizing on the entrancing beauty of lead singer Alexis Taylor’s voice.

The title track and first single epitomizes this new sound. Taylor’s vocals masterfully intertwine with the electronic beats and synth effects, rising to a quasi-falsetto on the chorus as he sets the album’s romantic mood with an endearing pun: “I only want to be your one life stand / Tell me do you stand by your whole man?” Vocals are given similar emphasis throughout the album’s slower tracks, including the beautiful “Slush,” which transfixes with its contemplative simplicity as Taylor’s singing weaves and dips against simple backing vocals. This focus on Taylor’s voice, supported by Joe Goddard’s harmonies, infuses the music with the soulful purity and coherence that was suggested, but never fully realized, by the group’s past albums. On tracks like “Brothers” and “Alley Cats,” layering of multiple voices results in a richness that allows the album’s themes of love and interpersonal connection to delve beyond the simply playful and enter the realm of the emotionally stirring, as with the poetic line, “You painted a song / It started when I was young and now it is in my lungs.”

The album’s upbeat songs complement these introspective ballads. The opening track, “Thieves in the Night,” instantly demands attention with its electrifying backdrop of persistent beats and darting synth effects. These form a satisfying contrast with Taylor’s plaintive call of “Baby I’ve lost you here in the crowd / Open your arms, I want to be found.” Elsewhere, “I Feel Better” features infectious strings and dance floor-ready auto-tuned vocals, while “We Have Love” brims with electronic effects and a catchy chorus: “We have love / Give it up, give it up / There is nothing else to be proud of.” This presence of upbeat, engaging songs on “One Life Stand” ensures a continuation of Hot Chip’s legacy of eccentric, genre-bending dance floor fodder.

Hot Chip’s inclusion of a broader range of guest instruments contributes to the album’s effective new sound. Outside collaborators include Fimber Bravo, who plays steel pans on the title track, as well as drummers Charles Hayward of post-punk legends This Heat, and Leo Taylor of post-rock band The Invisible. The upbeat “Hand Me Down Your Love” is driven by a prominent piano line; however, it also includes a powerfully distorted refrain alongside its developed instrumentation and the pure simplicity of the vocals. This combination of disparate elements into a cohesive piece allows the track to fizzle with the uniquely appealing tension that defines the record.

The cohesion of “One Life Stand” marks a high point in Hot Chip’s career. The group have produced many great singles, but this is the first time they have crafted an entire LP of individually worthy, yet ultimately unified songs. “One Life Stand” is a well-crafted and multilayered record, marking a new stage in Hot Chip’s meteoric rise.

—Staff writer Jenya O. Godina can be reached at godina@college.harvard.edu.