A decade and a half on from their early success, MGMT tell Danny Turner how they’ve got their mojo back on latest LP, Loss of Life

Somewhat gentrified by stardom following their multi-million selling debut album Oracular Spectacular (2007), MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser’s satirical take on modern pop became increasingly muddied, leading to underwhelming sales and a sense of bewilderment from fans and critics alike. By the time they’d reached their self-titled third album, the duo’s sense of disillusionment was all too apparent.

In 2018, the LP Little Dark Age saw something of a critical renaissance, prior to a six-year hiatus that halted their newfound momentum. However, now departed from Columbia Records, the band’s fifth studio album, Loss of Life, sees them hit new heights once more. Brimming with renewed confidence, the record’s catchy folk guitars, bristling rock chords and ultra potent songcraft fully reinvigorates MGMT’s legacy.

When you formed MGMT you had a general disdain for the music industry. Now you’ve been a steady part of it for a few decades, has that dissipated?

Benjamin Goldwasser: “I wouldn’t call it disdain; I think we had a playful approach to the idea of pop stardom. A lot of that came from us starting a band while we were in college and playing at parties. The irony was thick, but that dissipated pretty quickly when we started getting attention from a major label and playing festivals.”

Andrew VanWyngarden: “It was more naivety than disdain. The record industry was very foreign and unknown to us. We were building a fantasy about participating in the world as ‘pop stars’, but we had no idea how to even release music. Flash forward six years and we maintained that irreverent approach while making music for a giant corporation but still didn’t have any expectations for what it could be. Once things blew up, we were rapidly forced to change.”

This is your first album away from Columbia Records. Do you feel the loss or has the change motivated you?

BG: “Not really having to answer to anyone probably changed the process of making the record and was a net positive. We’ll have to see how different things are when the record is released, but being able to focus more on the music and less on the industry side has been inspiring.”