Avalanches go trippin’ with Rivers Cuomo in the Golden State on “Running Red Lights”

The Australian turntable witchdoctors are in spaced-out rock mood, blending chilled sunny vibes with an undercurrent of resigned sadness

Back in 2000, the collective of six DJ’s dropped Since I Left You, an album that is now regarded as one of the towering achievements of this century. The chilled-out party masterpiece was one long sequence of incredible unexpected samples that you could listen to over and over. And we have, for twenty full years!

It took The Avalanches over 15 years to deliver a follow-up, but when they did they effortlessly occupied the top spot of our tracks selection for that year. While their touch was still felt, they weren’t really the same Avalanches: only two of the founding members were at the helm now, and the group’s long absence had only amplified their hip cred. Instead of cutting up samples from obscure vinyl, they could now enlist big-name artists like MF Doom, Danny Brown, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and more.

It has only been four years since the Avalanches’ last album, and we are already blessed with new stuff from them. And just like their previous comeback, they have charged with a well-placed contender for track of the year.

As wildly eclectic as their work is, there are almost always two elements that run through it: blissed-out head trips and delicate romance. The new track might be light on electronics, but the mood is definitely there. With Weezer’s River Cuomo providing minimalist vocals that combine lovelorn sentiment with geeky references, the song coasts on a psychedelic beat that owes much to their fellow countrymen Tame Impala, and even further back to Cuomo’s fellow Californians, the Beach Boys. The magic starts with the very first twinkling notes and new-agey chants, before seguing into a power-pop chorus that is as catchy as the best of Weezer.

But an Avalanches song is never just a simple song. If you haven’t heard the track go do that now, and float in its dreaminess before we start peeling back the layers so you can listen again with different perspectives.

The Avalanches have always mixed genres, so the psych-electro-rock meets power-pop also features a brief rap interlude from Pink Siifu. The words however are nearly identical to the lyrics from one of the last songs by the late David Berman, who had previously collaborated with the band. The dreamy vibe of the song appears to also be a means of coming to grips with loss.

The Avalanches are of course masters of the art of visuals, and they especially excel in clips with big men dancing gracefully. The clip for the song features a former contestant on America’s Got Talent as an unrepentant quirky romantic, who sees his hopes of love dashed. Rather than give in to grief, he drives off in a “borrowed” corvette, literally running red lights down Los Angeles’ streets, before appearing to take off to the sky. The new album by the band is apparently all about space, both in the physical and metaphysical sense, and the clip probably ties into that theme.

“Running Red Lights” is a simple, straightforward pop tune that shows off all the Avalanches’ strengths: mixing genres, moods, hidden meanings and grand designs, all while taking it really easy. In this dark year, you can do much worse than hop on this smooth ride towards the warm, setting sun and just relax.