A 1960s sample sets up a refreshing teaser of the bizarre trio's third LP.
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Miike Snow may bear the least autocorrect-friendly band name this side of the Åland Islands, but the trio certainly knows how to make a catchy song. Between Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt you’ll find the duo behind Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, a singer/songwriter who composed a ballet with Mark Ronson, and one half of Galantis. ‘Heart Is Full’ is their first release together in three years, and signifies a marked change in direction from their indie pop heritage.
Based upon a curt jazz-laden sample from Marlena Shaw’s 1967 cover of the Etta James song ‘Waiting For Charlie To Come Home’, ‘Heart Is Full’ feels like a relentless hip-hop track that’s only missing a rapper. Strong emphasis on alternate beats at a little over 80 per minute throughout entices the listener with its aggression and anguish.
Wyatt does his usual job of icing the package with perplexing lyricism, albeit not quite as abstract as expected. Unwelcoming horses and vase glazes are exchanged for a relationship that at least he seems to be enjoying – “Please don’t knock over my heart / ‘Cause my heart is full of you” – and a song that you can’t help but to feel the same for. ‘Heart Is Full’ displays a grittier edge to the Miike Snow repertoire that III is certain to build upon, and the fanfare sample is sure to linger like the trio’s previous highlights.
‘Heart Is Full’ is out now via Jackalope Recordings.
