| A Bath Full of Ecstasy | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Hot Chip |
| Cover: | Hot Chip A Bath Full of Ecstasy album cover.jpg |
| Alt: | Cover art for standard editions |
| Genre: | Synth-pop, alternative dance[1] |
| Length: | 47:35 |
| Label: | Domino |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Why Make Sense? |
| Prev Year: | 2015 |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
A Bath Full of Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop group Hot Chip. It was released on 21 June 2019, and was co-produced by Hot Chip, Philippe Zdar, and Rodaidh McDonald, marking the first time the group worked with outside producers. The album was preceded by the singles "Hungry Child" and "Melody of Love".
It is one of the final albums released with production credits from Zdar – alongside his band Cassius' final studio album Dreems, released on the same day – as he died two days before its release, on 19 June.
Preliminary songwriting for A Bath Full of Ecstasy was undertaken by Hot Chip members Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, and first traces back to work they did for pop singer Katy Perry. After she asked them to help with songwriting for her 2017 album Witness, the duo spent four days at Air Studios collaborating with her. Goddard called it "incredibly exciting" and said: "I loved writing for somebody else. She was great, very funny and easygoing". One of the songs they wrote, "Into Me You See", ended up on her album, while two others, "Spell" and "Echo", were re-worked by Hot Chip for A Bath Full of Ecstasy.[2] Felix Martin said, "We ended up with the leftover bits they'd written, being very much obvious pop stuff, and those songs ended up being something more interesting than that."[3] Taylor and Goddard also recorded demos at Goddard's studio in East London.[4]
When the members of Hot Chip re-convened to record A Bath Full of Ecstasy, they decided to work with outside producers for the first time and to allow them to have a say in the songwriting.[3] The decision was born out of the band's desire to take a different approach than they had on previous records,[3] and to have someone push them creatively.[4] Martin said, "We all recognize you need to set new challenges and put yourself in slightly different positions in order to provoke a different response artistically."[3] Goddard said that the group also wanted someone who would present additional choices of equipment for them to use beyond what they already owned.[4] After meeting with several producers, the band chose to work with Philippe Zdar of French musical duo Cassius, as well as Rodaidh McDonald.[3]
Initially, collaborating with outsiders caused some friction. Whereas Taylor and Goddard were open to McDonald challenging them to write better songs, band member Al Doyle had some difficulty trusting "the people [they] were working with were making better decisions than [they] would make as a band". Doyle said he needed to acclimate himself to McDonald's style, as the producer worked entirely on a computer, whereas Doyle was "more traditional and old-fashioned". Though Taylor was eager to follow the producers' direction, he said that in a few instances, he decided to follow his instincts and disregard their suggestions.[5]
The two producers had very different styles. McDonald, who Martin described as "mild-mannered", "analytical", and "goal-oriented", brought a pop-centric mindset and deliberated about the song structures. He recommended to the group where to add bridges, choruses, and hooks, how many bars they should last, and he considered how the songs should be edited differently for radio or streaming services.[3] Goddard said of McDonald, "He was quite ruthless – 'is this verse too long? Do we have to write something stronger? We should get to the chorus faster.' He pushed us to be more ambitious."[6] Martin said the producer was very honest and never afraid to suggest changes if he thought the songs could be improved,[3] which included urging lyrical rewrites.[2] He described McDonald as having an editor's mindset, in that "he would always look to make songs work better in a shorter, more punchy way."[3] Goddard said he was "really amazing at structuring the songs, so that it's very not overstaying its welcome". The band worked with McDonald in London.[4]
Zdar, on the other hand, was more interested in fostering a collaborative atmosphere in the studio amongst the band members and capturing the moments of "fun improvisation".[3] [7] Contrasting with his counterpart, Zdar believed in long edits of tracks instead of making short pop songs.[3] Taylor said Zdar had a knack for spotting the vocal melodies and hooks in songs, and his mixes emphasised them while also giving "more space in the music". Taylor also enjoyed the unfamiliar equipment and instruments that Zdar offered the group, helping them deviate from familiar habits.[7] Goddard called him "bold and passionate" and praised his skills at "working with bass, making records feel really full and alive". He said the producer's "sense of joy and wonder at the world" helped instill the group with more confidence. They worked with Zdar at his studio, Motorbass Studios, in Montmartre, Paris.[4]
Goddard credited the band members' musical pursuits outside of Hot Chip with improving them as a band, saying that they honed their skills "either as a musician or a producer, an arranger or a live player". He cited Doyle as an example, saying he had strengthened his guitar and bass guitar playing due to his experience performing with LCD Soundsystem on tour.[4]
Approximately 20 songs were in consideration to be included on the album. Martin said that if decision of the track listing has been left entirely to the band members, the album would have comprised 10–12 songs, but they received advice from the record label and producers to keep it more concise.[3]
The band announced the album on 4 April 2019,[8] publishing the artwork, track listing, and release date, as well as concert tour dates. The news was accompanied by the release of the record's lead single, "Hungry Child", and its music video.[9] A second single, "Melody of Love", was released on 29 May 2019, along with a music video.[10]
A Bath Full of Ecstasy was released on 21 June 2019 in several formats. A standard edition of the record was released on vinyl, CD, and in digital formats. A deluxe edition was released on two vinyl records, with a pressing on transparent orange and turquoise discs, a black and white sleeve, and autographs of the band members.[9]
The album artwork was designed by Jeremy Deller and graphic designer Fraser Muggeridge.[2]