Cut Copy - Haiku From Zero

Cut Copy
Haiku From Zero
2017
Spotify

Cut Copy, in being reverential to the past often find new and exciting ways to experience that music. Throughout their career they have always seemed to be in the right place at the right time with the right music to get people excited. On this new record, the bands fifth, sticks with the pop formulas that work, and sticks to them hard. Yet there is a great deal of sadness on this record as well. The opener "Standing in the Middle of the Field" is about when the festival or party is over and it's time to wrap it up and go home, an idea Cut Copy knows well from their major festival days. The idea seems quite basic, but with Cut Copy it becomes more refined really drilling down to the heart of the emotion. New wave and tropical sounds populate these tracks with obvious Talking Heads vibes. There is this great vocal effect used at the end of "Counting Down" which feels amazing as the song fades away with plenty of dance grooves. That blend of Rock and Dance, Pop and Dance damn near anything and Dance has always been Cut Copy's M.O. and it works a lot more than it doesn't. There are some times where Haiku from Zero feels like it is siding a bit to close to the genre it is trying to evoke. "Black Rainbows" for example comes straight from 80s New Wave, with almost zero exploration. It is those songs that drag the album down and Cut Copy loose the Island Dream they are trying to create.

The moments of brilliance tend to get bogged down a bit by the push to harness a particular sound. When the band feels free and loose that is when the music really is the best, but when they are really trying to grab and hold on to something they tend to loose it. "No Fixed Destination" begins sounding really contrived like they have this point they need to get across but the music is in the way, however as the song progresses they get so much more comfortable and start to sound fantastic. The song fades and falls into "Memories We Share" perfectly giving you this really great landing. All in all Haiku From Zero is a pretty fun record and has a lot of bright spots to it. This is not going to go down as Cut Copy's best record by any stretch yet just like all of their albums it ticks a box with some great moments. What more could we really ask for?

7.3 out of 10