Sure, the world might be going to shit but the fact that we have some BRAND NEW Men Without Hats music to experience together (And separately, that we get to review) means that maybe things ain’t all that bad? Or, at the very least, Ivan Doroschuk and fam/friends, have created the right stuff to give us a little reprieve from the daily doldrums so there’s that? With that said, if you’ve been a fan of the iconic Canadian Electro act from their initial ’80’s run through to their resurgence in the 2010’s in terms of recorded works, then you’d know they were never really that far from our ears or hearts.
And they’re back at it again with On The Moon, a new collection that continues the trend began on 2012’s Love In The Age Of War of making modern Electro Rawk with grand Pop sensibilities that’s timeless and fit to be danced to anywhere you like.
Starting with lead single “I Love The ’80’s” and a song that gloriously encapsulates everything from Rhythm Of Youth (With nods to “The Safety Dance” of course) up through the recent pair of Again releases, Ivan Doroschuk and the gang prove that they’ve still got it (Which, if you’ve been a fan since back in the day, were already aware of).
And it keeps getting better from there.
The “from there” in question really kicks into high gear with the single that went along with the album announcement, “In Glorious Days”, which is a glowing modern Electro jam that fittingly is out of this world (And reminds us a little of fellow New Wave/Electro comeback kings Duran Duran and their 2011 collab with Ladytron on “Blame the Machines” from All You Need Is Now) thanks to Doroschuk and Sahara Sloan’s spaced out synths and ethereal vocal harmonies as well as some of the most kickass sing-a-long MWH moments of the 21st Century (With MWH mainstay Sho Murray along for the ride on guitar and various production/mixing duties across this record). “If You Try” follows along that path by extending a branch from 2012’s Love In The Age Of War in tone/intent but could also easily could fit alongside anything on Pop Goes The World or the rest of the band’s early catalog while “Run Away” is kooky, ooky, mysterious and classic Men Without Hats through and through.
“Love Me Tomorrow” is another that’s both a nostalgia trip but also just as potent today followed by the wondrous whimsy of “A Cause De Toi” which fits as both a ballad and a lullaby which tugs at the heartstrings just a tad moreso when sung in the Montreal born outfit’s native tongue of French. Wrapping up, Men Without Hats round out this rad collection of new tunes with some synthetic bliss wrapped in a Beatles-esque blanket and featuring some especially stellar Murray showcasing.
On The Moon is out now through Shocore Music/MWH Entertainment in a variety of ways and formats and you can find your favorite version right now by clicking here. For more from Men Without Hats, Including the latest on upcoming tour dates (For us locals, they’ll be at Foxwoods as part of the Totally Tubular tour on December 28th with A Flock Of Seagulls, Thomas Dolby, The Romantics, Bow Wow Wow, and Tommy Tutone and you can get more on that one here), head to the interwebs and their socials when you click here, here or here.