My last post on The Glitch Mob, wasn’t exactly high on subtlety when it came to my my feelings regarding the West Coast’s premiere glitch trio (currently comprising of edIT, Ooah and Boreta). The phrases “the best and most exciting dance music I have heard all year” and “completely reformatted my approach to dance music” were both used, quite honestly and seemingly without irony, within the same 500 word article. So, understandably, I have met news of the impending May 25 release of their debut album ‘Drink the Sea’ with quite a significant level of excitement. Although admittedly it’s excitement mixed in with no small amount of apprehension: The Glitch Mob boys have made their names as remixers par excellence, and if the past few years of bloghaus mania have taught us anything its that exceptional remixers do not necessarily a good solo artist make.

Fortunately, the first single, ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’ has dropped and it’s pretty rad. Perhaps nothing of the level of say their STS9, or Nalepa or Matty G remixes, but hey very little is. Those three tracks easily outrank pretty much every piece of dance music I’ve heard over the last year, so it’s quite a pedigree to be measured against.

The eponymous A-side is The Glitch Mob in familiar overdrive mode – pounding war drums, dweeziling funk keys, grinding guitars, suction synths, a healthy dose of melodrama, creeping builds and their formidable brand of relentless, half-pace energy. It’s unarguable and reassuring: they can create their own ideas and have them stand of their own accord. The B-side, ‘Between Two Points’ is perhaps a little less convincing, seeming to be the obligatory “dance artist album” downbeat female chanteuse track, although with edIT onboard it’s at least a cut above the usual standard. His 2003 album ‘Crying Over Pros For No Reason’ did nocturnal atmospherics as well as anybody and there’s enough detail in here to save the track from being automatically relegated to the usual dustbin of such efforts, although to my mind it could easily have stood to be further glitched up. I’ve attached ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’, but you can buy both tracks over at The Glitch Mob store. I’m also including edIT’s magnificent ‘Dex’ from the ‘Crying Over Pros…’ album, just to show you what the man is capable of when left to his own devices.

The Glitch Mob – Drive It Like You Stole It

edIT – Dex

And as a final bonus, here’s ‘Here For Now’, a track from Of Porcelain (Ooah’s side project). It’s a simple affair, but moody and compelling nonetheless.

Of Porcelain – Here For Now

Now, who wants to bring these dudes out to Australia? Their live show is supposed to be fucking mental. No, wait, is fucking mental:

Album’s out on May 25. Keep your eyes peeled.

-luke