Since forming in 1987 Underworld have helped redefine British electronic music with a style that is hard to put your finger on but familiar and easy to get lost in. ‘Strawberry Hotel’ is their 11th studio album and their first since 2019 and, with 15 tracks spanning close to 70 minutes, it is another highly ambitious project that shows the duo of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
Black Poppies is a gloomy opener built around distorted vocals. Almost ominous, it has a haunting beauty to it. The pounding Denver Luna, though, feels more like classic Underworld in the best sense possible. Hyde’s voice carries the weight of passing years but the vibe is still very much intact — it is very easy to see it filling dancefloors and delighting longtime fans.
There are shades of their ‘90s heyday — even a bit of Born Slippy about it — and at over eight minutes it never outstays its welcome, showing they’ve not lost their ability to create epic tracks that keep the twists coming.
Techno Shinkansen is another message beamed in from that era but it has a timeless appeal to it. It feels contemporary while wearing its influences on its sleeve — this is the duo at their absolute best, proving they are more than a match for acts they have inspired.
Lewis In Pomona gradually builds from a slow, low key opening to an almost deranged beast with howling vocals, segueing into thundering beats. Hilo Sky, meanwhile, has a propulsive rhythm to it from the get-go, its infectious energy demanding movement. Gene Pool is another epic, at over nine minutes, but more experimental, closer to Moby or LCD Soundsystem with a lo-fi feel to it. It is almost elegiac in places and one of the most beautiful works on the album, proving Underworld’s range.
‘Strawberry Hotel’ is a welcome return for one of the UK’s most iconic dance acts, showing how they have grown as the years have passed. This is another accomplished LP that will rank among their best, packed full of experiments and sense of effortlessness. Underworld remain a pair in perfect sync, delivering material that’s obviously the work of musicians at the peak of their powers.
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