LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem occupies an intersection where disco’s fluid rhythms meet the jagged contours of post-punk, allowing their tracks to toggle between biting wit and genuine feeling. Right from their first outing, the group executed its approach with precision; the 2002 single “Losing My Edge,” a tongue-in-cheek skewering of hipster culture issued on DFA, instantly positioned both the band and the label as the most enviable names in circulation. Under James Murphy’s direction the outfit capitalized on that dance-floor traction with further standouts such as “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” and “Drunk Girls,” plus the 2007 album Sound of Silver, which placed them at the forefront of the neo-disco resurgence. At the same time Murphy revealed a more vulnerable streak in pieces like “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” tracks that resonated on a deeper level than their faster material. The unit also developed into a major concert attraction, culminating in a sold-out valedictory performance at Madison Square Garden in 2011. After regrouping, LCD Soundsystem issued the retro-styled American Dream in 2017, resumed occasional club engagements, and in 2022 delivered “New Body Rhumba,” a track that retained the same incisive bite.

Murphy gained experience during the 1990s, first with Pony, a serviceable post-hardcore outfit heavily indebted to its influences, then with the more distinctive and robust Speedking. Years of labor in indie rock took their toll, yet Murphy constructed a personal studio and sharpened his skills as an engineer and producer for other acts. While working on David Holmes’ Bow Down to the Exit Sign he connected with programmer and producer Tim Goldsworthy, a relationship that evolved into a formal partnership. By the close of 2002 the DFA imprint they founded had already issued several recordings, most involving the pair directly; LCD’s “Losing My Edge,” backed by the strong neo-post-punk dance cut “Beat Connection,” was among them.

Murphy scattered three additional LCD singles across the latter half of 2004 before the self-titled full-length appeared in January 2005. At that moment DFA enjoyed peak visibility; Murphy and Goldsworthy had already supplied remixes for Metro Area, N.E.R.D., Le Tigre, and Junior Senior, along with abortive sessions for Britney Spears that might have profited from further interpretation. Janet Jackson likewise sought their input, though Murphy never pursued the overture. He did accept a commission from Nike to create an extended composition for a promotional campaign. The resulting 45:33, unveiled in October 2006, was conceived with runners in mind, yet Murphy later admitted he preferred mixed martial arts to jogging and had been motivated by the chance to craft something reminiscent of Manuel Göttsching’s early-’80s electronic landmark E2-E4. DFA eventually released 45:33 on CD, dividing the piece into six segments and appending three further tracks.

Sound of Silver, the second proper LCD Soundsystem album, arrived in March 2007. It showcased Murphy’s most emotionally resonant writing to date and reached the upper half of the Billboard 200. Propelled by the single “Drunk Girls” and its Spike Jonze-directed video, the third studio set, This Is Happening, followed three years later. Buoyed by the record’s reception, the band toured extensively alongside fellow dance-pop outfit Hot Chip throughout 2010. While in London on 29 June that year the group captured a complete live session at Miloco Studio; the loose recording surfaced on DFA as London Sessions in January 2011. Around the same period Murphy declared he was retiring the LCD Soundsystem moniker. The ensemble performed a farewell concert before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden on 2 April 2011, and the performance was issued the following year as The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live at Madison Square Garden.

Thereafter Murphy remained active across numerous ventures. He produced Arcade Fire’s Reflektor, reworked a David Bowie track, engineered custom eleven-foot speakers for DJ use, launched his own coffee brand, opened a wine bar, and composed the score for Noah Baumbach’s film When We Were Young. Late in 2015 speculation about an LCD reunion circulated, only to be swiftly dismissed by DFA; those denials served as misdirection, and the band released the new single “Christmas Will Break Your Heart” before year’s end. Shortly afterward they confirmed headline slots at Coachella, a string of live appearances, and a planned 2016 album. Although that project did not materialize on schedule, LCD surfaced two tracks in May 2017—“Call the Police” and “American Dream”—that previewed the fourth studio album of the same name. Featuring Murphy on the majority of instruments with contributions from multi-instrumentalist Al Doyle, vocalist Nancy Whang, keyboardist Gavin Russom, bassist Tyler Pope, and drummer Pat Mahoney, the set appeared in September 2017 on Columbia. It became the group’s first Billboard chart-topper, and the track “Tonite” captured the 2018 Grammy for Best Dance Recording. While touring worldwide in support, the band paused at Electric Lady Studios in New York to document portions of their set, including covers of Heaven 17’s “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” and the Human League’s “Seconds,” which were compiled as Electric Lady Sessions and released by DFA in early 2019.

A hiatus followed, with Murphy indicating the group would not tour again until another album existed. They nevertheless scheduled a residency at Brooklyn Steel for late 2021, absent Russom, who had departed. The collective also collaborated with Eric Wareheim on a hybrid sitcom, live-performance, and art piece that premiered on Amazon, then appeared on Saturday Night Live in early 2022. This momentum prompted further multi-night residencies across North America and England, plus studio work on the characteristically driving “New Body Rhumba,” recorded for the soundtrack to Noah Baumbach’s 2022 film White Noise. In late 2023 the band mounted a hometown tour comprising a dozen concerts at assorted New York venues and repeated the format a year later. They also issued “X-Ray Eyes,” a sleek robotic dance track that served as the first glimpse of an anticipated fifth album.