Let Us Never Speak of It Again

With 2005's LET US NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN, the stunning follow-up to their debut, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., Out Hud have achieved the near impossible. In a time overflowing with post-punk, disco, house, and techno references, Out Hud have made an original, engaging, and utterly distinctive dance record. Even though the band's aesthetic takes several pages from early-'80s post-punk (New Order) and funk (ESG), and owes a sizable debt to contemporary electronica, Out Hud puts these elements together in a way that is fresh and exacting.
Dub production techniques ricochet across streaming electronic beats, keyboard lines mesmerize, while the warm pulse of bass and guitar anchor the grooves and--a new addition here--the voices of Out Hud's two female members add breathy, singsong accompaniment. From the album's first single, "One Life to Leave," a burbling, house-inflected track, through the acid-jazz funk of "Old Nude" to the insanely catchy "How Long" and the psychedelic "2005: A Face Odyssey," Out Hud creates intricately interlocking webs of glittering, brainy grooves. Superb mixing (which gives every cut the textured and layered feel of a 12-inch dance track) tops it all off, making Out Hud's sophomore release one of strongest indie dance albums in ages.