I happened to be on a treadmill of all places when I listened to Hot Chip’s eighth album. Very few songs are able to get me through my cardio slog, but opening track ‘Down’ is so ridiculously addictive and funky that I actually rather enjoyed my run for approximately 3 minutes and 52 seconds. Other highlights include peppy earworm ‘Eleanor’, the robotic groove of title track ‘Freakout/Release’ and the electronic pathos of ‘Broken’. Granted, the album lost me a little as it went on - perhaps putting all the powerhouse songs at the beginning wasn’t a smart move. However, if you’re looking for a colourful burst of disco, it certainly does the job. LT

Domino Records