There’s a new album called Harmonics on its way by Hot Chip frontman Joe Goddard. It’s still a while till the release date of July 12th but there’s a tasty morsel just dropped in the form of a track and video to pique our interest – previously shared is the track New World with Fiorious. The collaborations sound rather appealing and curious too, including Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle, well that may hardly be surprising, but there’s also Jungle’s Tom McFarland, Ibibio Sound Machine’s Eno Williams and… Alabaster DePlume, the unusual and idiosyncratic jazz musician. That should be interesting.
Harmonics will be Joe’s third solo work and it is rooted in instinct and empathy with 14 tracks of left-of-centre dance music – touching on UK garage, house, hip-hop, pop and disco.
Talking about the new single called Moments Die, Joe says: “It features a beautiful vocal contribution from my friend Barrie, which for me is a highlight of my forthcoming album. My words were inspired by John Berger’s book And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos.”
Moments Die is a collaboration of Joe’s with Brooklyn singer Barrie. He fell in love with her voice while working on a remix which featured her vocals and lo, here’s the result. The track, after a few opening notes that I felt were a tad over manipulated, seconds later develops into a beautifully layered and uplifting number, featuring lush instrumentation with Barrie’s clear and vocals allowed to take centre stage. That ability of Joe’s to infuse a warmth and humanity that is restorative and and comfort giving, is all over this track.
The video – directed by Nathan Castiel – was shot in New York and Hastings and is a contemplative ode to the song’s lyrics.
Joe has allowed himself to take something of a back seat in this new work, showing a respect to his fellow collaborators and letting them shine. “With all the different people on this record, I’ve been working on how to respect the contribution they make and not trying to be the one who has to lead everything,” Joe says. “That follows through into the songs where I’m singing. I tried to write words without having too much of an idea of what I’m trying to express, where I’m just writing a stream of consciousness.”
Upcoming Joe Goddard dates
20th April - Headrow House, Leeds (DJ)
26th April - Marina Fountain, Hastings (DJ)
11th May – Pérola Negra, Porto (DJ)
24th-25th May – Tomavistas Festival, Madrid
26th July - Low Festival, Benidorm (DJ)
17th August – Stowaway Festival, Buckingham
20th Sept - This is Tmrw @ Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (DJ)
21st Sept - Dreamland, Margate (DJ)