No Nonsense

Why Make Sense? is Hot Chip’s sixth album. They are already well-established and well-known, so what could they possibly have new in store for their listeners? As they went on from one album to the next, it became apparent Hot Chip was maturing (lyric-wise, their music still retains most of the qualities it did when the group first got together) and Why Make Sense? seems to be the next step in this evolution.

“Huarache Lights” kicks this album off as a reminder of what Hot Chip brings and why they are needed, letting listeners know they have “got something for your mind / Your body and your soul.” From there on, Why Make Sense? tells what happens when getting too caught up in dreams, loss and love. Love, or at least passion, is explored a lot in these songs, whether it is the unattainable kind (“Dark Night”) or being totally enveloped by it (“Need You Now”).

Overall, the music itself comes together perfectly, both in the individual songs and how all the songs interact with one another. The lyrics, too, effortlessly and coherently tell and shape stories of experiences. So, what is not supposed to make sense and why have pride in nonsense? Maybe, in the bringing the music together with the lyrics is where that lies – like finding someone dancing to songs like “Cry for You” where the lyrics share an obvious story of loss and loneliness. Maybe it is the main topic of the album, love, that is not supposed to make sense.

Either way, balance is found between what is being said in the lyrics and what is being in said in the music, showing Hot Chip made this music intelligently, and know what it means to be a senior group in the industry.