Death From Above 1979

Is 4 Lovers

The Canadian dance-punk duo tackle love and modern society of their gnarly fourth record. They still pack a punch, but now the bruise is more colourful.

Where others imitate, Death From Above 1979 continue to innovate – this album really ‘Is 4 Lovers’.

One of Death from Above 1979's most balanced and stylistically engaging albums.

 ‘Is 4 Lovers’ is both a worthy addition to the collection and a reminder of what the band has gained over the years since they were just two kids from Toronto blowing everyone’s minds by not hiring a guitarist.

Just as Daft Punk press the self-destruct button, a similarly secretive, revolutionary and electro-heavy duo prone to lengthy career silences find a fresh creative tail wind ... 4 lovers of gloriously degraded punk pop.

With Is 4 Lovers, they not only prove that they can stretch without compromising, but also that intimacy and discovery can still be rockin’ AF.

The first half rifles through their familiar bag of production tricks ... The weirder and more diverse second side is where stuff gets interesting.

It’s a good idea to mix things up, but the move also renders them less visceral and dilutes their identity.

There’s still a nagging sense that the band are resting on their laurels. The record is still good – DFA are too talented for it to be otherwise – but it’s a little deflating for a band whose history is built on boundary-pushing.

Despite this being their third decade as a group, you might be expecting them to have added some new dimensions to their sound, but for better or worse that hasn’t happened.

Is 4 Lovers sounds like a transitional project for DFA.

Is 4 Lovers isn’t a bad album, it just lacks that much-needed energy and purpose. A lot of the songs here feel like they’re going through the motions.