MGMT Drops New Single “When You Die”

Back in May, electro-funk band MGMT announced their fourth LP, Little Dark Age. MGMT debuted four new songs while on their Summer tour, and released the album’s first single back in October. Now, MGMT has released the second single off Little Dark Age, the funky, darkly comic “When You Die“. The single was released with a trippy, macabre style music video starring Girls actor Alex Karpovsky. You can check out the “When You Die” visuals below.

MGMT, though still catchy and hummable, has definitely veered in a different direction since 2007’s Oracular Spectacular, which had three instant singles with “Electric Feel”, “Kids”, and “Time to Pretend”. What all three of those singles have in common beyond their anthemic, lilting melodies is the sense of strange foreboding and a fear of growing up embedded in the lyrics. MGMT has maintained interest in the darker side of things, as seen in their 2013 self-titled album, and now in Little Dark Age. 

The title single utilizes goth pop, reminiscent of The Cure. The visuals for “Little Dark Age” are what would happen if the worlds of John Hughes and David Fincher were to collide, resulting in a tragicomic story full of dark archetypal characters. You can check out the ambitious and intriguing “Little Dark Age” music video below.

Little Dark Age boasts production by MGMT, Patrick Wimberly (Chairlift, Kelela, Blood Orange), and long-time collaborator Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Spoon, Tame Impala). It marks the band’s first album in five years follow 2013’s self-titled. MGMT has confirmed that Little Dark Age arrives February 2018.