Season High
Little Dragon love to surprise. Their 2014 LP *Nabuma Rubberband* featured ominous New Wave synthesizers, nods to Japanese game shows, and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. That you never know what to expect from the four-piece is part of their appeal, but it can also create distance; it’s hard to get invested in a band that’s still finding itself. But on their fifth album, the Swedish outfit seems to have settled into their sound, a breathy mix of ‘80s dance-pop and downtempo ’90s R&B stirred together with artsy flair. It’s fluid, flirty, and awesomely escapist, like a blissed-out stroll through strobe-lit clubs. For polished pop, check out “Celebrate (Feat. Agge).” And for proof they haven’t lost their edge, listen to the spacey, seven-minute “Gravity.”
Despite the best efforts of Yukimi Nagano's dynamic voice, the Swedish band's fifth album of cautiously controlled, luxury mood music remains flat on the page.
Editor’s note: Unfortunately, today’s biggest release, Kendrick Lamar’s Damn., wasn’t made available to press in advance, so we’re only hearing it today, too. Look for our review early next week. In the meantime, here are reviews of some of the other notable releases on this otherwise relatively quiet day.
The band's fourth record is a surprisingly effortless sexiness from the Swedish electro crew
On their accomplished fourth album, Little Dragon’s enthusiasm is palpable and their world well worth exploring.
Also El Michels Affair - Return To the 37th Chamber and Samantha Crain - You Had Me At Goodbye
Little Dragon reaped their greatest commercial success with fourth album Nabuma Rubberband, a Top 25 Billboard 200 hit nominated for a Grammy.
An ability to turn introspection into floor fillers has earned Little Dragon a global fanbase, but Season High injects something stickier into their DNA.
Little Dragon — the Swedish electro-synth dance-pop experimentalists that have garnered comparisons to Radiohead and Prince, and have collab...
It's been three years since Little Dragon blessed the scene with an album, 2014's Nabuma Rubberband, and honestly, it has felt like much longer.
For all their fashionable and gossamer synth pop, Swedish quartet Little Dragon have never truly set the charts ablaze — their brand of music a bit
Having seemed on the verge of a breakthrough for so long, Sweden’s eccentric electronic four-piece finally indulge in pure musical pleasure
'Season High' by Little Dragon, album review by Callie Hitchcock. The LP comes out on April 14th via Loma Vista. Little Dragon play 4/16 in San Diego, CA.
Each step forward is matched with baffling choices that threaten to derail the entire project.