A Closer Listen
In 2023, GoGo Penguin responded to an onslaught of losses with Everything’s Going to Be Okay, a sentiment extended on their seventh album and the trio’s second with drummer Jon Scott. Necessary Fictions implies that we tell ourselves stories to get us through, which seems to contradict the previous title; but the upbeat timbres, including an expanded use of modular synth and some high profile guest stars, exude a twin sense of calm and well-being. The three have grown more comfortable with each other, and it shows; the music unfolds with great fluidity and ease.
Two of the titles deal with the nature of sound itself. “Background Hiss Reminds Me of Rain” belongs on a list of the year’s best track titles, joining Max Cooper’s “I Am in a Church in Gravesend Listening to Old Vinyl and Drinking Coffee.” At 1:40, this is the album’s shortest track, but the impression has been made even before a note has been played. And of course one starts to wonder: is that background hiss, running through the track, or precipitation? Not even the cassette click can end the discussion. And “Silence Speaks,” strategically placed at the end of the album (where it can be followed by actual silence) pulses gently like an awakening idea.
These are two of the album’s gentlest pieces. One of the most active is the first single, “Fallowfield Loops,” whose video caresses Manchester’s Toast Rack building, a model of Brutalist architecture (also seen on the cover), towering over the trio’s home base. This club-ready track coasts on waves of catchy bass, twinkling keys and jazzy drums. Due to the repeated motifs, one can almost hear it as a techno track. The same holds true for opener “UMBRA,” whose steady tempo hides its internal intricacy.
Manchester Collective appears on two tracks, the first alongside Rakhi Singh. “Luminous Giants” may be an ode to the buildings of Manchester, to the heavenly lights, or to those who guide our way. The strings add a different hue to the music, nearly but not quite melancholic. Subtle oohs and aahs lift the back section of the track back up to celebratory heights. Penultimate piece “State of Flux” seems to comment not only on the band’s trajectory but the state of the world. The bass gets to strut its stuff, then the piano, then the drums, each then returning to the fray, implying that even a world in flux will eventually reset and that everything’s going to be okay. In “Forgive the Damages,” the album’s only vocal piece, Daudi Matsiko advises, “Take time to do nothing; try out just sitting; be less distracted; spend more time listening.” Released just in time for high school commencement speeches, the track serves as a recipe for success, one the band seems to have taken to heart. After the album ends, the silence speaks. (Richard Allen)
Sun Jun 15 00:01:32 GMT 2025