Curious if any longtime fans feel underwhelmed by the new tracks
Maybe I’m in the minority here but I genuinely do not understand the overwhelming praise for these new of Montreal tracks. They sound like rough live-in-studio demos to me. Where are the synths? The weird production choices? The layered electronic textures? The psychedelic maximalism? The grooves??
This feels like the third chapter in the Lousy with Sylvianbriar / Aureate Gloom era — which, for me personally, are easily the least interesting albums since Aldhils Arboretum. And look, I’m not expecting another White is Relic or I Feel Safe with You, Trash every single time. Those albums are unreal lightning-in-a-bottle records. But these new songs just feel so… plain.
Honestly, I have literally heard AI-generated slop music that sounded more musically interesting than these tracks. At least the AI stuff sometimes accidentally stumbles into weird textures or hooks. These songs just kind of sit there.
One track is mostly Kevin saying the F word over a sleepy live-band groove, and the other honestly sounds like something I’d skip halfway through. I can’t imagine putting these on for my kids the way I would Skeletal Lamping or Hissing Fauna or Paralytic Stalks or Innocence Reaches.
The weirdest part is that instead of making me excited for the new album, these singles are making me excited for the album AFTER this one or maybe the next one after that. Like… okay, guess I’ll wait this era out and hope the next reinvention is more up my alley.
Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade. I WANT to love new of Montreal music. I’m just honestly surprised that everyone seems ecstatic about tracks that feel this stripped down and uneventful. Curious if any other longtime fans feel the same way or if I’m just completely out of sync with where the fandom is now.