Hot Chip’s “Hungry Child”: Gets Better With Every Listen

Hot Chip in concert in 2016. Photo by Hell Gate Media/REX/Shutterstock (5775568aa)

Hot Chip is back with an electric new single and it’s got everyone hopeful for an equally electric new album. It’s been four years since Why Make Sense? had us dancing in our bedrooms and it’s about time we received some more music from the electro group.

There’s a lot going on “Hungry Child” and on the first listen, it can be hard to suss exactly what you make of it. This is mostly down to the keyboard part which comes and goes in short bursts. It’s louder than the rest of the track, including the vocals, and feels almost out of place with the rest of the song. Sure, it adds an interesting twist to the tune but in reality, it’s likely that listeners will have a Marmite reaction to the clashing keys.

On the first listen, I actually thought that I had accidentally left another tab open playing a different track because the clash caught me so off guard. On the second and third listen though, I completely warmed to it and now it’s my favorite part.

So yeah, Hot Chip’s new single is weird but as with most of the band’s music, it will likely get better with every listen. Alexis Taylor’s vocals are easily identifiable to just about anyone who is a fan of electronic music and our curiosity regarding a future album has definitely piqued.

4/5