YACHT, “I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler”

In the end, “I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler” is too caught up in its own gimmicks to tread any new ground.
Reviews
YACHT, “I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler”

In the end, “I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler” is too caught up in its own gimmicks to tread any new ground.

Words: Jessica Lynn

October 20, 2015

YACHT_i-thought-future-cooler_coverYACHT
I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler
DOWNTOWN
5/10

For an album whose rollout involved Google Maps, drones, a BuzzFeed listicle, and a music video viewable only during Uber surge pricing hours, one would expect I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler to be a bit more innovative. On their fifth full-length, electronic art-pop duo YACHT relies on trance beats and trite modern commentary to create the illusion that they’re doing something cutting-edge, when in reality they haven’t produced anything unique. Sure, the record offers some interesting layering (“L.A. Plays Itself”) and really cool bass lines (“Miles & Miles”), but when push comes to shove, there’s not much that distinguishes it from any other spacey electronic record. On tracks like “I Wanna Fuck You Till I’m Dead” and “Don’t Be Rude,” the group goes so far as to become annoying, abandoning cosmic minimalism and jumping straight into overly sugary synth-pop. In the end, I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler is too caught up in its own gimmicks to tread any new ground.