It all started with ‘Unsolicited Stereolab Material’ on 7” in the mail and we have been grooving hard since. May’s Record of the Month is - obviously! - Stereolab.
Instant Holograms on Metal Film is the first new music from Stereolab in fifteen years, a thirteen-track set that sounds instantly and unmistakably like them, but also with plenty of experienced energy and new timbres. Written by the group’s Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane, the album is performed by the pair alongside the current touring lineup of Andy Ramsay, Joe Watson and Xavi Muñoz. There are also guest contributions across the album from Bitchin’ Bajas’ Cooper Crain and Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay and Cavern Of Anti-Matter’s Holger Zapf among others.
Considering the band have always had the deft knack for making their music sound so breezy, there is actually a heck of a lot going on across the record, with a diverse array of instruments - marimba, vibraphone, various woodwinds and a lot of vintage synths - and rhythmic complexity adding to their sonic tapestries. Similarly, when you really get into those repeat plays, it is thematically some of their most direct music too, looking at themes of reality, connection and transformation. It also doesn’t shy away from politics, with all sorts of themes blurring in and out of the otherwise surreal imagery.
“Instant Holograms... offers a kind of manual on how to resist the negativity and reconnect with society. Alternatively, it’s another super-fun Stereolab album full of obscure synth blurps, nifty lounge-pop tunes and gnarly motorik wig-outs. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.”
- Uncut
Instant Holograms on Metal Film is rich and explorative; a vibrant 2025 version of their signature retro-pop chic and krautrocking drive, with bubbling and really grooving production. Their creativity truly endures here. We love this band, we have always loved this band, and this album reminded us why a good dozen times a minute.
Available in three, six or twelve month configurations, you can join the Drift Record of the Month Club and start adding to your amazing collection. Each month you will receive one new album on either vinyl or CD, based on your subscription type. The first delivery (whether CD or LP) will also include a complimentary Drift Pin.
Find out more here.
Recent 'Record of the Month' albums at Drift have included; Walt McClements, Los Pirañas, Darkside, Delivery. White Denim, Kim Deal, W. H. Lung, Kit Sebastian, The Big Club, Orquesta Akokán, O., Mdou Moctar, Gustaf, Adrianne Lenker, William Doyle, Bill Ryder-Jones, Harp, Hotline TNT, Black Pumas, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Georgia, Cory Hanson, Overmono, North Americans, H. Hawkline, Yo La Tengo, The Murder Capital, Goat Girl, Black Country, New Road, Jane Weaver, Dry Cleaning, Squid, White Flowers, Stephen Fretwell, Chubby and the Gang, Low, BADBADNOTGOOD, Damon Albarn, Geese, Silverbacks, Cate Le Bon, Huerco S., Daniel Rossen, Kevin Morby, Vintage Crop, Viagra Boys, The Lounge Society, Jockstrap, Trevor Beales, Aoife Nessa Frances and Sarathy Korwar.