Joy In Repetition [White Vinyl 2LP]

Hot Chip - Joy In Repetition [White Vinyl 2LP]

Repetition is more than a compositional tool for Hot Chip; it’s a philosophy. “There’s joy in doing something again and again,” says Taylor. “That’s true of rhythms, of grooves and of making records together for 20 years. We’re still doing it. We still love doing it.” There have been numerous side projects over the years and parallel careers, notably Al Doyle joining LCD Soundsystem in 2005, but Hot Chip always return to each other. It’s a sentiment encapsulated by new song “Devotion” which closes the compilation. A buoyant whirl of psych-pop that calls to mind The Beach Boys sipping Piña Coladas with Hall & Oates and asks for a rock in uncertain times, the song is “a celebration of the devotion to doing this project together,” Taylor continues, as well as their devotion to their craft. “I think of Joe as being like Brian Wilson, with this huge dedication to finding how to make the most amazing pop music,” he adds.

The video, directed by Will Kindrick and filmed in Japan, takes devotion to one’s craft down a different tangent. Kindrick says: “I’ve spent a lot of time shooting in Japan recently, and have become obsessed with keibiin (Japanese security guards). I was waiting for a train and noticed a stoic security guard standing on the platform, his arm extended, robotically waving what looked like a lightsabre, and the most hyper-focused stare I’ve ever seen in my life. There was nothing behind those eyes but pure devotion to his craft. I started thinking about these humble heroes hitting the streets every morning—rain or shine—guiding us through traffic, telling us where to park, protecting us from obliviously stepping into active construction zones. What about the individual underneath the helmet? This video is me pouring one out on the curb for the devoted, hard-working keibiin everywhere!”

Though they’d bristle at the weighty notion of their “legacy,” the band have been delicately contemplating the “essence of Hot Chip” of late. Are they festival favorites doing it for the misfits? Outsiders who’ve burrowed their own lane between indie, dance and pop? A band on a mission to find humanity in the machinery? Or one whose longevity, as Pitchfork once wrote, “is proof positive that you can build a band around the concept of ‘emotional intelligence’?”  

All of the above. Joy In Repetition isn’t only a retrospective, it’s a document of Hot Chip’s commitment to joy, curiosity and each other. “It’s strange, you can’t go back to the feeling of those early days,” says Clarke. “But there’s something comforting about that. These records hold those memories for us. And it’s the shared experience that connects it all.”

Hot Chip will celebrate the release of Joy In Repetition in the US with shows at NYC’s Webster Hall on September 7 and LA’s Fonda Theatre on September 9.

Tracklisting
Ready For The Floor
Boy From School
One Life Stand
Night And Day
Flutes
Hungry Child
Over And Over
Positive
Look At Where We Are
Need You Now
Eleanor
Huarache Lights
Melody of Love
I Feel Better
Devotion