Since Oracular Spectacular, the band has released two additional albums, 2010s Congratulations, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, and their self-titled third album MGMT in 2013. The albums were progressively more experimental than their radio-friendly debut, and never quite produced major hits, which alienated fans and sent some critics running for the hills. We, however, never miss a chance to see MGMT.

When we first caught the duo during their Congratulations tour stop at Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2010, we were in complete awe of their show and performance. The band opened with “The Youth” and ripped through 16 other songs after, playing almost their entire first two albums and even giving a nod to their 2005 Time To Pretend EP by playing “Destrokk.” It was an amazing tour and an unforgettable night. The two following times we saw Andrew and Ben perform live, we enjoyed the sets, but felt more nostalgic than fully engaged.

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During their 2013 set at Virgin Mobile FreeFest, the band opted to skip their biggest hit “Kids,” which felt odd at the time, but also indicative of the band’s stance on their past success by 2013. Of course, they didn’t have to play the track, but for many (including us) it was exactly what we needed that rainy day in Maryland. Regardless, the entire set was pretty good overall. The kaleidoscope glitches and visuals illuminated the entire pavilion with every malfunction which was exciting as usual. We caught the group again in 2014 while performing at Coachella in support of their album MGMT. The set was a few songs shorter than FreeFest, and the crowd fluctuated in excitement with many waiting for the “big 3” songs that always incite literal panic.

MGMT delivered a strong performance and even joined Kid Cudi for his set that weekend, but their newer songs seemed to leave fickle fans in the crowd mumbling through lyrics. The band ran off to Europe for Glastonbury and their tour soon thereafter. But when their most experimental album MGMT fizzled,  Andrew and Ben decided to take a small hiatus, with Ben moving to California and Andrew staying in New York.

Almost two years after starting their hiatus, on Christmas Day in 2015,  MGMT delivered the best gift to fans worldwide by announcing their imminent return. While new music did not follow in the year after the announcement, by late 2016 an untitled album was in confirmed to be in progress and by mid-2017, a teaser along with the title of their forthcoming album was announced through social media. That album is 2018s Little Dark Age, MGMT’s first album in five years and a long-overdue return to music.

Little Dark Age, the duo’s closest convergence to the indie pop sounds of their debut effort, finds MGMT experimenting with waves of 80s-inspired electro-pop melodies, and delivering some of their catchiest hooks in years. The album presents a rather clean sound, removing a lot of the fuzzy experimental noise that haunted their third album. According to the band, the album is noted to be a commentary on the current political and social state of the world, with VanWyngarden claiming in a January interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, the duo was “more inspired to write pop music” following the most recent election when “evil took over the world.”

The 10-track album opens with “She Works Out Too Much,” a tongue-in-cheek track about dating apps and dating in the era of social media. “Sick of liking your selfies / should’ve gone with my gut… but I’m constantly swiping it, tapping” sings Andrew in the opening verse. It’s an upbeat and jazzy opener to an otherwise dark and electro-psych album. The title track, released in October 2017, follows, and is a melancholic and goth-electronica hit, while “When You Die” offers one of the best lines of the album with “go f*** yourself/you heard me right/don’t call me nice again.” TSLAMP (or “time spent looking at my phone”) is another angsty track about the dictating power of technology, wrapped in a light-hearted, Spanish-inspired tune.

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