“Little Dark Age” was the first new music we had heard from MGMT in over four years, after they released a self-titled album in 2013. Now they’re finally coming out with a follow-up sometime in February, so new music won’t be so few and far between. Today, they shared the second single from Little Dark Age, “When You Die,” confirming that their return was well worth the wait.
In the new single, singer Andrew VanWyngarden chants over rippling synths and guitar strums along a steady beat. The track is more eccentric than catchy—it’s no “Electric Feel,” but not in a bad way. VanWyngarden’s voice softens for the chorus, singing over a medley of chuckles: “When you die / And words don’t do anything / It’s permanently night / And I won’t feel anything / Well, I’ll be laughing with you when you die.” The accompanying visual mirrors the surrealistic and hypnotic nature of the song, starring Girls’ Alex Karpovsky as a magician who experiences life after death.
Watch the video for “When You Die” below, and revisit the video for “Little Dark Age” here.