The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Hot Chip

Huarache Lights (Feb’15) by Hot Chip is an indie electronic dance track. But when they programmed the robot that makes songs like these, it is a robot isn’t it? Please let it be a robot. The people chose the button that says ‘rock’on the robot. That’s good. Otherwise the whole vibe of the song is disembodied. The lyric floats above the tune detached with jagged assauIts of almost meaningless high pitched lyric thrown amongst it, a spoken word sample and occasional lines from a Cylon. Kraftwerk be damned.

All of which seems appropriate for a song that references both the benefits of technology and a fear of losing touch. Hardly surprisingly the song is synth heavy and rolls along like a pissed Paddy on payday. Maybe it’s not quite a banger but it is mashed spuds; nutritious and delicious. Sticky as a jerkoff artist’s handshake in the morning, Huarache Lights is one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“Machines are great, but
Best when they come to life
You can burn your finger on
The pulse of the light”

 

 

 

Hot Chip are a popular indie electronic band from London, England. Huarache Lights is the first single off their sixth album Why Make Sense (May’15) produced by themselves and Mark Ralph a chappie who has done grind for Franz Ferdinand, The Brand New Heavies and Hot Chip in the past.

Shit you need to know:

People what can use words good have said the band are built around the concept of “emotional intelligence” and the song Huarache Lights is, “a meditation on the alternating comfort and anxiety that stem from getting older". Believe them at your peril.

They said they've attempted to create a bare bones recording on the new album that resembles the sound they make on stage. They mentioned always trying to make ‘uplifting’ music too.

Hot Chip have a large variety of influences but have singled out The Beach Boys, Kraftwerk and Timbaland as biggies. They also reckoned Ray Charles, New Order and Grovesnor aren't too shabby.

Hot Chip have covered at least two Prince songs, If I Was Your Girlfriend and 1999. Prince has a bee up his arse about prosecuting for copyright so good luck finding them.

The band have a chubby for aesthetics. The new album come in hundreds of thousands of album cover variations and the video for Huarache Lights was a continuous shot of an artists light installation being altered.

None of the band have a drivers license and the guitarist said they trudge about on leather patrol carriers. Now it actually does make sense that they called the song Huarache Lights what with Huaraches being a product of third world child slavery, Nike sneakers.

The Hot Chip tunes that get the fatties on the dance floor are Over and Over and Ready For The Floor.

 

The ladies dilemma is from Kishi Bashi an American singer, produce and multi-instrumentalist and his indie electronic marvel Brandenburg Stomp (2014).

It’s quirky and brilliant.