Is 4 Lovers

Album review

Death from Above 1979's fourth full-length, 2021's Is 4 Lovers, is a sonically vibrant production that finds the Toronto duo further pushing their riff-heavy sound. Once again, the album features the combined talents of singer/drummer Jesse F. Keeler and guitarist Sebastien Grainger. While it's still only the two of them on each track, there's a dynamically textured and widescreen aesthetic to the album that feels bigger and more robust than you might expect. It's an aesthetic that also speaks to how Keeler and Grainger have continued to transform and hone their sound in the years since their 2004 debut, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine. The opening "Modern Guy" kicks off with a hot pink drill-bit guitar arpeggio that gives way to a galloping glitter rock number, perfectly setting the tone for all that follows. The kinetic power-chord chug of "One +One" sounds impossibly like an Iggy and the Stooges song if it were produced by Giorgio Moroder. Equally evocative, the wild-eyed "Totally Wiped Out" is a raging art-punk anthem that straddles the line between Brian Eno and Bad Brains. While shoot-from-the-hips punk is the duo's core vibe here, they've matured over the years and explored softer sounds. Though somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Is 4 Lovers is no exception and features a number of lyrical moments, including the buoyant, '70s synth pop of "Glass Homes" and the piano-driven "Love Letter," which brings to mind the Beatles-inspired work of the late singer/songwriter Emitt Rhodes. All of this makes Is 4 Lovers one of Death from Above 1979's most balanced and stylistically engaging albums.

© Matt Collar /TiVo