Album | Django Django – Django Django

Django Django opens like a tribal video game, revs up to the happy dancing of ‘Hail Bop’ then launches into the near-irresistible beat of ‘Default’. It’s a great start and reminds me heavily of The Beta Band, but this is no bad thing. We need more spaceship noises and kindly psychedelica in the world since that band packed its bags, and while The Beta Band mixed happy, sad, and hypnotically-insistent songs (such as ‘Push it Out’, surely made for giving birth), Django Django are much more about making you dance. I first played this album while cooking, and it was the most energetic meal I’d made in a while.

The lyrics can get a bit obvious (e.g. “If you go round in circles, you’ll find yourself back at the start” – yup, that makes sense), but the music makes up for this by being so satisfying and seamless, and by moving your feet. ‘Skies Over Cairo’ is close to being cheesy, but in a loveable way; ‘Wor’ is a stand-out for its whoops, rollicking guitar and hand-clapping. The overall sound gets pretty trippy without hitting the outer-space bonelessness of, say, The Flaming Lips, but they’ve also got the nerdiness of Hot Chip, which is good if, like me, you’re too painfully well-behaved for actual drugs. Just climb on for a safe trip (but don’t forget your helmet!!!!@1!!). Django Django make me happy. They might make you happy too.

Words by Becky Varley–Winter