Dead Hand Control
Baio's third outing gives doomsday a gloriously multitextured new wave soundtrack
The band's bassist has crafted a hopeful collection that shifts between electronic dreamscapes and Talking Heads-style art-rock
When Vampire Weekend's Chris Baio released his second solo album, 2017's Man of the World, his strutting synth pop was clouded by the anxiety of the previous year's elections in his native U.S. and adopted home of the U.K. Arriving in 2021, the title of his third Baio LP, Dead Hand Control, refers to an automated Soviet-era missile system (Dead Hand, aka Perimeter) still rumored to be operational decades later.
The Vampire Weekend bassist branches out on his most expansive album yet, but falls short of any meaningful impact. Now on his third album under the Baio