The duo will be featured on MGMT’s upcoming album, “ Loss of Life », which comes out this Friday.
MGMT has just presented a new song, “ Dancing in Babylon », a collaboration with Chris from Christine and the Queens.
The new song, which should appear on Loss of Life, which will be released on February 23 via Mom + Pop, is, at its core, a tender piano ballad, but with the kind of strange undertones one would expect from MGMT. Andrew VanWyngarden and Chris team up beautifully on vocals, trading lines before reaching sublime harmonies at the end of the bridge.
In a recent interview with WECBVanWyngarden stated that “ Dancing in Babylon » was initially a “ kinda stupid and fun song about a couple from Rockaway Beach that I didn’t know very well “. At the beginning, it was more of a “ happy and cute little song » reminiscent of Magnetic Fields or Belle and Sebastian, but Chris has totally transformed it. “ Once we brought on Christine and the Queens, the song went into a whole other space where it sounded like “Total Eclipse of the Heart” or a Roxy Music ballad. It’s very varied ” said Mr. VanWyngarden.
“Dancing in Babylon” is accompanied by a music video directed by longtime MGMT collaborator Ray Tintori. The video opens with a man making himself a sandwich and sitting down in front of a television to play some kind of war video game. This kicks off a surreal, cosmic and poignant story of soldiers in love, the plot of which seems to collide with MGMT and Chris’s performance of the song.
“ Creating the video ‘Dancing in Babylon’ith Chris and Ray has been a prodigious affair (love), requiring everyone involved to operate in six dimensions at once, while preparing a simple turkey sandwich with Dijon mustardsaid VanWyngarden and band member Ben Goldwasser in a press release. The resulting sandwich is a cosmic mille-feuille that would be presentable in most high-end French restaurants. »
Commenting on his collaboration with MGMT, Chris said: “ I’ve always loved MGMT’s multiverse, their freedom and talent, their crystal clear writing and crazy soundscapes. It’s royal, it’s a source of inspiration. When they contacted me for this power ballad, I was honored and excited to dive into their dream, as I have the same overall approach to my work. I also loved the story of the lyrics, and I worked my lower register here more than usual. I felt invited into their film, and I’m happy to be part of the galaxy. Let’s work towards more love in the galaxy of love. »
