Though
DAT Politics' neon-bright sound is immediately recognizable, the band has always made each of its albums vividly distinct from each other.
Mad Kit is no exception -- setting aside the lovably boxy pop of
Wow Twist, the group channels their 8-bit charm into a harder-edged, more percussive sound that aims straight at the dancefloor.
Are Oui Phony's "Step Back" hinted at this streamlined approach, and it appears here in an even more stripped-down mix that's scarcely more than stuttering vocals and the most jagged, rudimentary synths and beats that
DAT Politics could tweak out of their mad kits. Instrumentals make up nearly half of the album, as if to underscore the band's newfound commitment to groove and ever-so-slightly more serious bent. Parts one and two of "Own Thing," with their rapid-fire melodies, are even a little ominous; while "Wish Ya"'s squiggly synths are the musical equivalent of a glow stick, they're held in check by a punishing rhythm section. Even the more overtly mischievous robo-disco of "Moving Like DAT" and "Bloc Newton," which shakes its pixels like it just doesn't care, are more elongated and muscular than
DAT Politics' earlier work. This feeling seeps into most of
Mad Kit's more pop-oriented songs as well -- they're a little more straightforward than some of the band's previous material, and not quite as tweaked and distorted to low-res abstraction as they've been in the past (though the gleeful title track is a notable exception). The breezy and bittersweet "Bad Dream Machine" is one of the clearest love letters to their synth pop inspirations that the band has written, and though "Freak Me Out" is just as paranoid as it is catchy, it's one of the album's least quirky moments.
Mad Kit's sleeker sound makes it less cute than some of
DAT Politics' earlier albums, but it's so kinetic that it ends up being just as much fun in its own right. ~ Heather Phares