Got To Keep On is the next big release from The Chemical Brothers, and another track that will feature on their 2020 album “No Geography”. Their last studio album release was 2015’s “Born In The Echoes”, and Disposable Media welcomes any news of new albums or singles. Before the release of “Got To Keep On”, we had already been treated to two other tracks from the forthcoming album; Free Yourself, and MAH. Free Yourself never truly endeared itself to me – it sounded a little repetitive at times and the onslaught of phaser blaster effects after just over a minute of intro… well, let’s just say that they seemed like they were on the wrong side of the line that separates “daring and bold” from “random and out-of-place”. MAH originally came across as standard Chemical Brothers fodder, but repeat listens have converted me and I think it’s probably the best of the three tracks revealed so far. Anyone who follows the Chemical Brothers on social media was given a sneak preview of Got To Keep On a few days before the full track was revealed, and it appeared to be a slower number, but one with plenty of charm and elements of funk and pop throughout. A few more previews – short snippets around 15 or 16 seconds long – were later released, and each one made me keener to check out the whole thing.
Got To Keep On – that classic feel
This morning I hurriedly opened up social media to see if Got To Keep On was available to stream or download yet, and since then I’ve been enjoying repeat listens of the track, and thinking about how it compares to the other tracks we’ve heard so far. It’s a very upbeat tune, and the funky effects and chants of “gotta keep on” give it a kind of retro disco vibe. As you continue to listen, the track only reveals more character and more layers – there’s the catchy guitar twanging that creeps in, a slow drum build-up that leads into the quieter breakdown around the halfway point, a more aggressive build-up into harsh noise… and then the sudden drop back into funky sounds and melodic bells. For all of the shifting tone and mood, however, it still feels like a classic Chemical Brothers track… and maybe that’s the most important thing.
Got To Keep On – funky but safe
Obviously these are all still very early impressions, and it will be a long time before I find out if this turns out to be one of the standout tracks from No Geography (rest assured we’ll have plenty to cover between then and now). Right now, in terms of quality, I place it somewhere in the middle of the three tracks we’ve heard so far. I think it’s a very “safe” track that’s easy to listen to without going too crazy too often; the funky feel works more successfully than Free Yourself’s minimalism, but MAH has a little more energy than Got To Keep On. Too often when I play a new Chemical Brothers album, I find that the sensible catchy tracks are the first ones I come back to when I’ve done a first listen of the whole album… but they’re also much less memorable than more varied tracks. It’s the difference between Star Guitar and Denmark – one’s full of lush, rich sounds and catchy beats; the other has more variety and goes to more places. I feel like this could also be the difference between Got To Keep On (sensible and catchy) and MAH (more varied) – but again, these are only day one impressions, and my thoughts on the tracks will assuredly change a lot between now and the release of the full album. As always, let us know if you’ve been listening to the new tracks, and if you have a current favourite from the ones that have been revealed.
Listen to Got To Keep On with Spotify here.