Following on from their brilliant self titled debut album, Django Django are back with the first taste of new material in three years in their new single release, First Light, which was the first indication that 2015 would be the year they return with their as then untitled second album. There was no official word on when it was landing at the time the single first landed, but we now know that Born Under Saturn will be arriving on the 4th May, with the new single the first of 13 new songs.
First Light, which you can listen to for yourself in the stream below, was released on 12″ white label vinyl and digital download on the 9th January 2015, coming on the back of a recent spate of conspicuously industrious quiet from the Londoners. Apart from the odd one or two DJ sets around the capital, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they’ve been ploughing the majority of their creative efforts into new material and having heard the first of these, we’re pretty excited about the prospect of the rest when it descends.
The single builds off the genius of their first album, with just a little less emphasis on world beats. New wave electronica meets 60s psychedelia with some very cool drum sequences underpinning the entire track. It’s not an instant hit as such, but it doesn’t take it too long to work its way under your skin, especially with such a sharp intro.
Vocals from Vincent Neff are on the higher side of the Django Django spectrum, but they come together well in the flow of the track and the heat of the sun. It’s the combination of electro samples with live instruments that has defined the band’s sound in the past, and it’s evident in abundance on the new single, with keys taking the lead in a big way.
It makes a very cool minor segue in the final quarter of the track as First Light starts to build with electro organ blasts on its way to the end of the haze. The deep, dark bass notes are nothing short of sublime as they intertwine with the synth melody, making their case for a high scoring single review all by themselves.
If Django Django is anything to go by, the new single is probably just a glimpse of something that will be pretty varied while also managing to crowd together under the same banner, a bit like the musical version of Catchphrase. Random and slightly disjointed similes aside, the latest material is a welcome return and a good indication that there’s more where that came from in Born Under Saturn.
Django Django, First Light single review: 4/5
