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The album cover for MGMT’s newly released album, Loss of Life.

MGMT, a band once deemed a “one-hit wonder,” released their latest album Loss of Life on Feb. 23. Changing up their traditional indie music style, the group incorporated different elements of, strangely, 80’s pop, creating something both revolutionary and sentimental. For music fans who often find themselves nostalgic for the times of yesterday, you’re in luck; this is just the album for you.

Before getting to the introduction of the album, it is vital to consider its end, an unusual thing when it comes to LP’s like this one. The last song of the album, “Loss of Life,” raises questions regarding the meaning of love and loss, wondering how they connect to life and how we perceive it. The answer is then seemingly hidden somewhere between the lyrics of the album’s first track, “Loss of Life (part 2),” which describes an all-powerful, all-knowing being called Taliesin.

Apart from these two tunes, which likely are included as something of a message to listeners, the rest of the album includes songs which are indie in genre but are very 70’s/80’s-like. They range from blues to more rock-like to pop, but the tunes are all something both unique and strangely nostalgic. “Phradie’s Song,” “I Wish I Was Joking,” and “Nothing to Declare” are just some of these few, all giving the impression of being taken from The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

MGMT began releasing music almost two decades ago, in 2005. They gained prominence with several hit songs, including “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” using elements of synth-pop and electronica to convey what some might call the musical theme of the early 2000’s. MGMT then got perhaps their biggest break to date: they were featured on the popular rapper Kid Cudi’s first album’s “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare),” now one of his most well-known tracks.

Then, the group went dark for a few years, emerging in 2018 with the mildly popular album Little Dark Age. Many thought that this was the end of MGMT, a one-hit wonder to be laid to rest among others. And to be honest, perhaps that is the case. But, in the end, I think that it is up to music fans to decide, and I strongly urge them to listen to this album. Give the band a second chance; you might be surprised.