Cut Copy - 'Freeze, Melt' [Album Review]

There’s a lot of things I could say about Cut Copy and how brilliant their music is. The Melbourne-natives are Australian electronic royalty and every time they unleash another synthesised groove into the world, it’s incredibly hard to get the smile off my face. After releasing a series of beautiful soundscapes earlier this year, Cut Copy have released their sixth album ‘Freeze, Melt’, a seamless collection of tracks trickled with an ethereal flavour.

One of my favourite things about this album its how it stretches itself between lo-fi funk and fluid surrealism. The album opens with ‘Cold Water’, a track that feels so spacious as swirling atmospherics and pattering percussion float alongside arpeggiated keys and swooping pads. This song feels comfortable, as does ‘Love Is All We Share’, which has a mystical aura. Staggering piano vamps hover over sizzling statics and a dreamy scene is built with Dan Whitford’s echoing vocals being lifted by billowing synths.

These two tracks are so delicate and present us with some very dreamy soundscapes and they prepare you for the more intricate instrumentals on ‘Stop Horizon’, ‘Rain’ and ‘In Transit’.

‘Rain’ slowly rises from shimmering tones and charging hums to powerfully emotive string lines and heavenly vocals. Subtle kicks pulsate as the melody builds and at its peak, ‘Rain’ showers us with warmth – not dissimilar to clouds parting to show the sun after a storm. Although there are some amazing vocals, ‘Rain’ is heavily driven by its melody which is able to tell a great story on its own. If anything, the vocals are simply an enhancement here.

The ascension of ‘Rain’ is a sharp contrast of ‘In Transit’, the track closing ‘Freeze, Melt’. Its bleeding synths capture a more solemn mood with a melody that moves slowly alongside deep bass notes. What makes ‘In Transit’ so interesting, is how later in the track twisted synths balance out some strong acoustics. They sound gorgeous together and really capture a moment of amazement as they hover alongside each other.

‘Stop Horizon’ begins with the most amazing acoustics that dances quickly over some gentle atmospherics. The song stays like this for quite a while before twinkling and buzzing samples are introduced. Whitford’s ghostly vocals slowly rise from the melody and the sensory-rich soundscape breezes by before the track suddenly changes course and drops into a sweet funk.

The instrumentals on ‘Freeze, Melt’ are both airy and quite surreal. There’s nothing predictable about them and the more kaleidoscopic elements blend flawlessly into the more energetic tracks on the album as well.

‘Like Breaking Glass’ is definitely the most dance-driven track on the album with its house-heavy melody and 80s tinge. Snapping pads bounce above reverberated synths and high-end sonics and honestly, it’s a lot of fun. ‘Running In The Grass’ is a lot of fun as well, mainly because the glass-like pops of percussion feel kind of childlike and they bounce over the more rounded sound of the piece. Sharp-edged atmospherics slice through breathy synths and the vocals kind of act as a guide through the song’s surrealist flow.

‘A Perfect Day’ is a great track to end things on because it’s got such a trippy vision. The synths pulsate underneath the vocals and a deep groove is evident from the very beginning. Things start off slow before glitches jump in and out of focus and uplifting bongos inject the piece with extra strength.

‘Freeze, Melt’ is gorgeous – there’s no other way to put it. The vast soundscapes capture the most magical tones and the more experimental instrumentals are so enticing. Cut Copy’s sixth album is just as mesmerising and exhilarating as I anticipated it would be and I wouldn’t have it any other way.