Albumdata
Artist | Underworld |
Album | Strawberry Hotel |
Year of release | 2024 |
Rating
Introduction
On September 6, 2024, following the spring tour through Europe, a new Underworld album was announced and Black Poppies was released as an appetizer. And here it is, Strawberry Hotel!
Route to Strawberry Hotel
On April 3, 2023, the first single off the Strawberry Hotel album was released; the truly amazing and the colour red, followed by denver luna on December 1, 2023, a dance track with rock influences. On September 6, 2024, the single Black Poppies was made available and Underworld announced their new, eleventh, album as follows:
Here, gleaming tensile techno forms clean, straight lines while scratchy acoustic guitars scuff up edges to produce ghostly audio. Poetry is snatched from the overhead, removed from the overheard; words borrowed from the ether are spun into dizzying new shapes, sometimes reappearing in new settings, twisted back to front, side to side. Each track a very different room – some soundtracked by little more than metronomic kick drum and robotic voice, others deep in layer upon layer of melody and euphoric noise – and each room unmistakably, uniquely Underworld. The only advice from Underworld’s Rick Smith and Karl Hyde upon entering: “Please don’t shuffle.”
underworldlive.com, 09/06/2024
Review
On October 25, 2024, Underworld released their latest album: Strawberry Hotel. Following the impressive concerts at the Gashouder in Amsterdam in March of 2024 (see Underworld, 03/15/2024), where Underworld previewed a number of new songs, I was curious for the new music. and the colour red in particular was a song I thoroughly enjoyed.
It doesn’t take long to realize that Underworld has released an almost old-fashioned great album. The music seems to hark back at times long gone by, but that doesn’t give Strawberry Hotel its proper dues. From denver luna, through Techno Shinkasen, and the colour red to Sweet Lands Experience the album is one big highlight. Lewis in Pomona introduces the first slowed down moment on the album. The band doesn’t shy away from experiments, as evidenced in the intriguing Ottavia. Kraftwerk receives a shout-out on Gene Pool. The closing Stick Man Test, a song centered around acoustic guitar is remarkable and soothing.
Strawberry Hotel is both vintage Underworld and Underworld presenting themselves in the new world. This album has to be listened to several times, and take the advice of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith to heart: “Please don’t shuffle.”
Songs
All songs written by Karl Hyde and Rick Smith.
- Black Poppies
- denver luna
- Techno Shinkansen
- and the colour red
- Sweet Lands Experience
- Lewis in Pomona
- Hilo Sky
- Burst of Laughter
- King of Haarlem
- Ottavia
- denver luna (acapella)
- Gene Pool
- Oh Thorn!
- Iron Bones
- Stick Man Test
Musicians
- Karl Hyde – vocals
- Rick Smith – keyboards, synthesizer, drums, vocals, guitar
Helped by:
- Esme Bronwen-Smith – vocals on Sweet Lands Experience, Lewis in Pomona, Hilo Sky, Ottavia
- Nina Nastasia – vocals on Iron Bones
In closing
What’s your take on this Underworld album? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Underworld – Strawberry Hotel. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.