Album Review: Empire of the Sun – Ask That God

Revolve around the world as we revolve around the Sun

Empire of the Sun’s newest album, Ask That God, marks the duo’s return after a nearly eight year hiatus between full length projects, the previous being Two Vines (2016). Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, the masterminds behind Empire of the Sun, take the listener down memory lane with their dreamy synth-pop records that harken back to two early electronic smash hits from them, “We Are the People” and “Walking On a Dream.” The album stays true to Empire of the Sun, but influences from similar acts and sounds like MGMT, Glass Animals, and Daft Punk, along with a cherished ’80s flare, deliver us one of the grooviest albums of the summer.

The first half of the album is all about groove with more upbeat and bouncy tracks like, “Music On The Radio,” “Television,” “Happy Like You,” and “AEIOU,” the house tune featuring Littlemore’s group, PNAU. This sound is then pushed to electronic extremes on tracks like “Wild World” and “Rhapsodize,” which creates more production-centric songs featuring different sounds and instruments balanced well together. And what can be seen as a nod to a formative decade for the duo, the album’s title track, “Ask That God,” is taken right out of a 1980s movie.

This leaves 4 tracks on the album, that unlike the others, feel like love. The album’s opening track “Changes,” followed by “Cherry Blossom,” speaks about falling in love and not losing it, with catchy chord progressions that keep the story moving along. “Revolve” praises the love felt around the world through everyone and has serious potential to take the top slot for best live song at an Empire of the Sun show. The album concludes with the melancholic duet “Friends I Know.” The contrast of the two vocalists that moves into a chorus of electronic voices, only to finish with a symphony of strings and synths is literal ear candy.

With what may be considered “pop” nowadays, Empire of the Sun does a fantastic job infusing the best parts from alternative, rock, pop and electronic music to create a feeling that will resonate with many. Ask That God is another step in their production journey that shows their growth and maturity as they reintroduce their original sound to the world, eight years after they did it last.