Clinic Announce New Album Fantasy Island for October 2021 Release, Unveil Glitchy Music Video

Liverpool duo Clinic have announced their ninth studio album, Fantasy Island, along with a glitchy new music video, directed by Emily Evans. Fantasy Island is out on October 22 via Domino.

“Fantasy Island” is bright and eclectic with morphing vocals, upbeat drums, sporadic synths and constant guitars. The high-frequency of the hi-hats give the track a continuous rhythm. The delay effects on the vocals make for a trippy and interesting first listen. The band appropriately called the single an “electro-rockabilly shebang.” Clinic is bringing their most electronic and pop record to date and “Fantasy Island” is just one of the glimpses of that. The track seems to be in the direction of funky disco as many of the instruments used sound nostalgic. In fact, Clinic has added an electronic acid bass machine, a 1970s cocktail rhythm unit, a Casio digital horn and a space drum to their arsenal. These instruments will be found all over the new record and some of them can be heard on their second single. 

In the music video, Clinic interpose different images of the tropics along with old images of British families over a lyric video for the song. Along with the lyrics, at many moments during the song a spiraling oval takes over the center of the screen. The lyrics and the spirals look as if they were hand drawn by a kid holding a crayon, which makes the music even more trippy and nostalgic. 

The first single on Fantasy Island, “Fine Dining,” is a little more dark than their following single. It’s a slower-paced tune with a little more somber tone in the vocals. However, there are many similarities including the high-frequency hi-hats, the delay of the vocals and the bizarreness of the music video. Clinic’s last album was 2019’s Wheeltappers and Shunters which was experimental and doused in 70s nostalgia. 

Fantasy Island Tracklist
1. The Lamplighter
2. Fine Dining
3. Take A Chance
4. Refractions (In The Rain)
5. Dreams Can Come True
6. Miracles
7. On The Other Side…
8. Fantasy Island
9. I can’t Stand The Rain
10. Feelings
11. Hocus Pocus
12. Grand Finale