#double infinity

Prior to the album’s release the band shared four of the nine songs on offer, none of which set the pulse racing. “Incomprehensible” is a serviceable opener, while lyrics about oral sex on “All Night All Day” and recordings of studio laughter at the start of “Los Angeles” proved rather offputting. The most notable of the four is “Grandmother,” which features impassioned wordless vocals from Laraaji. Each of the singles set the template for the majority of the songs on the album, which are built around simple chord progressions that loop over and over, with little variation between verse and chorus, or evolution as each song progresses. It’s also disappointing to realize that track two, “Words,” is reminiscent of the 1994 pop hit “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something.

Of the other five songs, “No Fear” and “Happy With You,” which both appear in the album’s second half, are the most engaging. “No Fear” has a slow, hypnotic, bass-driven groove that earns its seven-minute run-time, culminating in a wash of chimes and a backwards run of the tape during the final minute. “Happy With You,” which the band has previously debuted live, introduces a striking set of fast-moving chord changes, while the mantra-like vocals repeat “Happy with you,” then “Poison shame,” over and over.

In my review of their last album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, I described the record as “both a consolidation of what’s made the band’s previous albums so compelling, and offers a natural next step in the evolution of their writing and arranging talents.” In contrast, Double Infinity feels like a step backward, an album that sounds like a band trying to re-learn how to conjure the magic that seemed to flow so effortlessly — but largely coming up short.