Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s debut album is gorgeous mid summer surprise. So expressive, so articulate in its joyful explosion of energy, it confirms to us that how it’s made doesn’t matter at all when tunes are this good. Technique is the last refuge of the scoundrel!

The few elements on each track totally count; there are few extras, and little unnecessary layering. Spring reverb seems to be the sonic glue du jour, so the dirty funk stabs of the rhythm section become shrouded in a frothy haze. Album opener ‘FFunny FFriends’ jerks haltingly through a long afternoon with only two litres of Coke and a old book for company. We dig the way the guitar cheekily copycats the vocal. Effortlessly cool.

‘Put new drinks in old vessels’ we once read. Take ‘Thought Ballune’. That’s what UMO are doing: the beat is grooving, the recording sounds old and distorted but the voices are too young. It’s as fascinating as finding dinosaur fossils. You want to understand how it’s made but it’s some freaky futuristic shit these kiddies are pulling on us. Bowlegs feels frustrated. The kids coming up from behind.

And so to the golden egg that UMO have laid: ‘How Can You Luv Me’. “How can you luv me … when you don’t like me?” runs the chorus of this most boisterous classic. We guarantee you will be singing along with this beautiful falsetto refrain precisely one minute after hearing it. Dear reader: act responsibly around this song, it will impact your daily routines. Showering will take longer, and you may miss your bus-stop. The lopsided mixing (drums hard right, natch) and ragged raw edge is how all pop music should sound. Like a car that moves so fast, it leaves the paintwork standing. The sound is all skinned knees and elbows, yet reminds us of the joy of listening to Curtis Mayfield. And respect to the squelchy fuzz bass, it’s as though James Jamerson has been reborn.

No more talk. We need to throw some shapes.

-Julian Tardo-