Well, look who’s back. Over two years after garnering a whole bunch of NPR-approved blog love, DoublePlusGood has a new mini-album set for release in two weeks. Listening to “Rivers May Rise,” it’s easy to tell that not everything has stayed the same.

Originally a one-man project led by Erik Carlson, DoublePlusGood has been a duo since 2007, when Typhoon drummer Pieter Hilton joined the mix. The difference is notably palatable on the Dancipation Proclamation which, besides featuring Hilton on real live drums, sees Carlson’s approach to electronic music shifting to more of an emphasis on rich, glitchy textures and choppy beats. “Rivers May Rise” is just layered with so many cool sounds; keyboards buzz, whizz, flutter and dart through the mix, never quite giving you an idea just where the song is heading. It only really stops until the chorus, when the track slows down just a bit and Carlson sings “Rivers may rise and things/ And the seas may drain/ But eventually, things will be the same,” pausing to hit every single note.

“Rivers May Rise” and most of the Dancipation Proclamation actually reminds me not of Cut Copy or New Order as much as the Cansecos’ self-titled and overlooked 2003 release of glitchy, emotionally resonate electronic pop. That record featured the same formula of distorted drums + super catchy melodies, and I’m happy to hear something this week that brings me back to a record I haven’t really thought about in a few years. I guess some things do stay the same.

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Photo by Cory Gustason

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