One record at a time: 507. The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling

Released in 2023, "For That Beautiful Feeling" arrived with a fair bit of expectation attached, helped along by the early single "The Darkness That You Fear". On paper it is got everything I usually want from The Chemical Brothers: a clear hook, a confident pulse, that familiar sense of a bigger picture gradually coming into focus. In practice, though, it never quite lands for me. The samples feel more nagging than catchy and, because the duo are not shy about repeating a phrase until it becomes the point of the track, what should be hypnotic starts to grate.

That is the theme I keep bumping into across the record. The production is as glossy and muscular as you would expect from a band who have been doing this longer than most of us have been paying council tax. There are moments where a synth line lifts its head above the mix and you think, here we go, this is the one. Then the track leans back on a vocal chop or a loop that refuses to evolve, and the momentum slips away.

"Live Again" is a good example. It has a sturdy groove and a pleasingly ravey shimmer, but the central vocal hook sits in that awkward place between inspirational and intensely irritating. I can imagine it working a treat in a festival field, shouted back with arms in the air. At home, on a grey Tuesday, it invokes the same anger as being told to smile by a stranger on the bus.

To be clear, there is nothing careless here. The sound design is detailed, the low end is enormous, and there is a sense of craft in how the tracks are layered and paced. I just do not think the album’s best ideas are quite strong enough to justify how firmly they are repeated. 

When it clicks, it is properly transportive ("No Reason", "Feels Like I’m Dreaming"). When it does not ("Goodbye", "Live Again"), it can feel like you are stuck in a tumble drier watching the same scene move round and around ad infinitum. I was especially looking forward to another Beck collaboration, but even this ends up feeling a bit undercooked and never quite matches the promise of previous outings.

So, say it quietly, but "For That Beautiful Feeling" is not amongst the band's best. I do not dislike it enough to write it off, and I would still take it over most paint by numbers dance records without thinking. I just wanted a bit more surprise, a bit more lift, and fewer hooks that outstay their welcome. This record doesn’t gab me like "Surrender" or "Push the Button" did. If you are already on board, you will find plenty to enjoy. If you are looking for a classic, you might end up reaching for the older stuff instead. 2.5/5