Season High arrives as a funky twist on an otherwise edgier discography from Little Dragon. The four-person electronic group from Sweden has turned out six albums and various singles, beginning with “Twice,” which remains their most popular song. The group’s previous material had been largely electronic driven and frequently exhibited hints of deep house beneath Yukimi Nagano’s centralizing vocals.
Nagano remains the crucial element in Season High as her two domains, percussion and vocals, continue to dominate each piece. The songs are varied but tied by floating falsettos and jazzy pumping bass lines that twist into various moods throughout the album. Generally, the album doesn’t depart much from Little Dragon’s usual fare, though the breathy vocals and pulsating synth progressions give each song an ironic levity while cutting a more edgy line.
Each song finds itself somewhere caught between disturbing and care-free. The chorus of “Celebrate” leaves the listener simultaneously laughing and off-put. The whole album seems almost like a piece of dark humor. It leaves haunting echoes of indie pop while almost mocking them in some regard, like political propaganda full of bright colors and a sinister back story.
The album remains exciting through its entirety. Season High contains a consistently varied ten songs rather than the customary great body of homogenous sound broken by occasional special tunes. “Strobe Light” and “Celebrate” are bouncing poppy tunes while “Don’t Cry” and “Butterflies” offer a more sobering aura.
In all, the album is similar to the group’s previous material but internally varied, providing the listener with a diverse listening experience within a somewhat specific style and genre.
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