Mysterious, cosmic vibes come from Goldfrapp’s Silver Eye

English electronic pop duo Goldfrapp is perhaps most well known for their 2011 track “Ooh La La,” which has been heard on Grey’s Anatomy, Law and Order, and even the video game Grand Theft Auto.

The group released their seventh studio album, Silver Eye, on March 31. It’s Goldfrapp’s first album in four years. Its dynamic, electronic sound makes it a great record, with singer Alison Goldfrapp’s lush vocals and textured soundscapes.

The first track, “Anymore,” sets the tone immediately, with its buzzing synths against a steady beat. The seductive track has lyrics like, “You’re what I want / You’re what I need / Give me your love / Make me a freak.” The song has a catchy disco-beat that makes it a strong track on the album.

“Systemagic,” the second track, has a hypnotic sound, quite similar to “Anymore.” However, the song has a little bit of a darker mood to it. Goldfrapp sings, “Take a ride / Light the sky / Make it burn / Let’s be it, do it, celebrate it / Silver eye.”

“Become the One” takes on a unique tone as compared to the rest of the tracks on the album. With echoed vocals reminiscent of electronic duo The Knife, the song shifts in pitch and has lyrics that hint at themes like self-realization and personal transformation, with lyrics like, “Recognize / Synchronize / Harmonize / What’s inside.”

In an interview with The Guardian, Alison Goldfrapp discussed how the song was inspired by the 2015 documentary My Transgender Summer Camp. She said, “I’ve always felt that not everybody is one thing. Sexuality and gender are complex. I saw that documentary a few years ago, and I was so taken aback by how articulate the girl was about her experience…At the end, she said: ‘I’m not changing who I am, I’m becoming who I am’ and I found that really moving.”

“Faux Suede Drifter” is another standout track in the album and has a mysterious, cosmic mood to it. It is tough to decipher exactly what the lyrics are, but Alison’s vocals seem to melt into the music of the song, which somehow works. She sings, “Faux suede drifter, you never moved / Silence eroded / Touching you with a loaded gun / The eyes follow eyes and assume.”

Singer Alison Goldfrapp also happens to be an avid photographer and led the visual elements of the album, including the album cover, as well as the video for “Anymore.” For the video, she and a team traveled to Fuerteventura, a volcanic island in the Canary Islands. The video captures scenic, black sandy beaches, cliffs, and blue skies.

In an interview with Riff Magazine, Goldfrapp said, “I suppose the visuals are another way of expressing the narrative and atmosphere of the record; there’s sort of another element there. A lot of the themes on this album are ideas about transformation and rituals, mysticism, paganism, ecstasy, and metal. All these things, so I guess the elemental. The visuals in some way represent ideas and atmospheres of the music.”

What I like about Silver Eye is the transformative process of the album. No one song is exactly like another—there are changes of pace and a turning of moods. Some songs feel dreamy and upbeat and some are more ominous.