#onelifestand

“And have you finished the puzzle yet?”

“No as I put the pieces together, they display things I’ve never seen before; new things. But those things are only a fragment of the big picture. If I’ve finished the puzzle, it means our story’s done.”

“I hope you never finish it.”

A/N HELLO LOOK AT ME GO 3 IN ONE WEEK !!! also thanks for all the lovely messages guys it’s so lovely to hear from you <333 Hope you enjoy the second last part of One Life Stand :))

“Uuuuughhh” Y/N groaned, lying on the floor facing the ceiling of Remus’ flat.

“Get up you twat” Remus kicked her lightly in the shin, as he walked through the sitting room and into the kitchen, “Did you cook these and then lie down on the floor?”

“I was trying to be productive”

“Did you even eat any?”

“Not yet”

Remus raised an eyebrow, “It’s been 30 minutes.”

“I’m getting there” Y/N mumbled, not moving a muscle.

“You’re pathetic you know that” Remus grabbed two plates and piled them with the blueberry pancakes Y/N had made earlier that morning and covered them with maple syrup. He brought them over to her and placed them on the coffee table.

“Come one, eat your food and get to the library, you need to meet Sirius in 20 minutes and I have someone coming over in 10”

“Tonks, again?”

“Maybe” Remus mumbled, stuffing pancakes into his face as Y/N sat up and grabbed her plate he’d laid out for her.

“How’s that going then?”

“I don’t know, she’s so young… it’s been fun, I don’t know if it’s going to go anywhere though”

“That’s literally what you say every time you start dating anyone” Y/N finished off her plate and stood up, stretching out her back, “Alright wish me luck, I’m about to face off the ice-king”

“Just talk to him, you’ve built this up in your head, you know” Remus rolled his eyes at her, sinking further into the couch.

“You have not seen him glare at me, I must have done something bloody stupid to him when I was drunk to get him to hate me like this”

“He doesn’t ha-“

“It’s fine, I’ll see you later” She grabbed her back and gave him a smile, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Y/N winked and closed the door behind her, heading off into the rain that had been pouring down for the past three days. She sighed, pulling her raincoat over her head and sprinting across campus from Remus’ dorm room, heading towards the library.

It was packed, everyone was either studying for their mid-year exams or taking refuge from the rain, as the dorm rooms weren’t known for being the best at keeping out torrential rain. Y/N shook the water from her coat, deeply regretting wearing jeans without her umbrella. She spotted Sirius looking morose, leaning on the last bookshelf to the right of the doorway, and made her way through the chairs towards him.

“Hey” Y/N smiled at him and he nodded, leading her over to a small table in the back he had saved. They worked in silence, combining their projects, speaking only to ask a question about each-others work.

“Can we just talk about this?” Y/N finally broke, hissing at him across the table, wondering if anyone else in history had ever been this uncomfortable in silence whilst in a library.

“Talk about what” Sirius whispered, continuing to type edits into his laptop and refusing to look at her.

“You know what about”

“I really don’t”

“You can barely look at me, Sirius! I clearly did something to hurt you and I’ve been racking my brain and I cannot remember what happened that night so can you please tell me so we can make up and be friends again?” Y/N got a very dirty look from the table next to her as she began to raise her voice.

“Friends, huh” Sirius muttered, a little bitterly. Y/N raised her eyebrows but continued to stare at him, hoping that he was uncomfortable enough to be forced to speak. He continued typing for a few moments more, purposefully looking like he was concentrating deeply on the sentence he was writing.

Finally, he looked up at her and huffed.

“You really don’t remember anything?” He questioned.

“Well I remember getting a pint of Whiskey and then another beer with you and then I woke up the next morning wanting to get rid of everything that was ever in my body. I don’t even know how I got home” Y/N smirked a little sheepishly.

“I brought you home,” Sirius said quietly, again looking back at his laptop surreptitiously.

“Oh…” Shit. Y/N avoided the temptation to bang her head into the ground. What the fuck did I do?

There was another pause where Y/N could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“I’m not with her you know” Sirius mumbled, looking up at her.

“…uh, with who?”

“Marlene, we’re not… together”

“So, it was just a one-night thing?”

“What are you talking about?” Sirius gave her an annoyed look.

“You and Marlene hooked up a few weeks ago – Marlene told us and Lily definitely heard you guys” Y/N laughed awkwardly, hoping it would for some reason defuse the tension, “It’s ok you know, I know that we were just casual”

Sirius’ hand clenched slightly on the keyboard and his jaw tightened. Y/N went to reach out to his hand, but he pulled away.

“What?”

Sirius said nothing but stood up, closing his laptop and putting everything back into his bag. Y/N raised her eyebrows, getting more and more confused.

“What are you doing?” Y/N stood up, watching him pack up.

“Did you know that I wasn’t seeing anyone when we were hooking up?” He hissed at her, anger now flashing in his eyes, “And I’ve never slept with Marlene, she’s your friend, you really think I’m that sleazy?”

“No, I-“

“Ever think that I enjoyed just being with you? But no I get it, you don’t want anyone to know about us, to the point where you’d happily push me onto your other friends. Just- I can’t be around you right now ok?”

“Sirius!” Y/N called back to him as he turned and stalked away, the whole library now staring at the pair of them.

Fuck.

Every artist faces a point where they must decide where to take themselves artistically if they want to continue to grow in popularity. Frequently this means deciding between trucking forward with your integrity intact or "selling out" and conforming to the conventions that are popular at the time, and some bands handle this moment poorly and choose the option that goes against the spirit of their music's original intent. But electro-pop fivesome Hot Chip have risen to the occasion for their fourth release One Life Stand, and approached the matter with a trajectory of growth that has culminated into a strong middle ground between artistic integrity and mass acceptance. It's an offering that is sure to please new fans and regulars alike while only occasionally offending their purists.

Nothing is missing from this release that was present on earlier ones and it's rather that more has been added, often for the better. Front-man Joe Goddard's vocals still shine through and compliment the nerd-vibe and the combination of instrument and electronic has only slightly given way to the latter, but it ultimately represents a greater balance than their previous album Made in the Dark offered. A stronger kick drives many tracks as well and there's even a growing respect for the bass that is greatly appreciated, leading to a couple of rousing songs that'll get your feet moving as much as your head.

"One Life Stand" and "I Feel Better" perhaps best represent what Hot Chip has learned over the years and part of that is that they like hooks, and they like 'em a lot. So you don't get just a more experienced band but a catchier set as well. And if it's not your cup of tea then "Hand Me Down Your Love" offers a rawer equivalent sans the sometimes overbearing pop mentality of the other two, without sacrificing the candid nature of the band's music. The same can be said for "Take It In" which finishes the record with a dependable rhythm that's sure to end your listening experience with satisfaction.

Where the evolution of their style falters, however, is in its sometimes patronizing tendency to cater to the pop mentality no doubt intended to bring the group a larger audience. "I Feel Better" exemplifies this notion but it's fun so it can be forgiven, yet it almost hurts to hear meaningless filler like "Brothers" and to a lesser extent "Slush", which for some may just redeem itself through the appreciable qualities it shares with ballads from your grandmother's generation. "Keep Quiet" almost convinces you to listen to something else it's so unfocused and cluttered, and it's hard to believe this track comes from the same highly produced band you've been listening to eight songs prior.

But "We Have Love" shows you why you loved Hot Chip in the first place, and why you will continue to love them in the future. Not only does it have the gradual build they've established as "theirs" by three previous releases (as does every other track on this release), it also masterfully combines their style with the critical elements that makes pop popular. Hooks galore, a powerful rhythmic ascension that almost lifts you out of your seat, and a danceable groove that's likely to also appeal to fans of only slightly-related genres.

Overall One Life Stand shows that Hot Chip has only been learning with time and while there is the occasional jarring setback, the album itself flows gracefully within its own context. Arguably little is lost for those who've been loyal from the start and much has been gained from the band's growing mastery of their own style. It's to be seen if their next offering continues this pattern of growth or sends then spilling over the edge into conventional mediocrity, but considering the escalating competency with their own method, it's likely Hot Chip will continue to fruit and stand out in a genre that can sometimes seem awfully conformist.