!!! - Let It Be Blue (LP)

!!! has always felt like a party that learned how to write great songs, and Let It Be Blue carries that torch with a sly grin. Released on May 6, 2022 via Warp Records, it stands as the long-running dance‑punk crew’s ninth studio album, and it plays like a tight, neon‑lit distillation of what makes them endure. Nic Offer’s twisty talk‑sing leads the charge, but the record’s secret weapon is in the subtle way it folds house, Italo shimmer, and acid squiggles into those rubbery basslines the band has chased since the Sacramento days.

If you only know !!! from early‑2000s co‑op floors and festival tents, the first thing that hits is how lean this set feels. The grooves don’t sprawl so much as flicker and snap, always leaving space for a hook to elbow through. “Storm Around the World,” featuring Maria Uzor of Sink Ya Teeth, is the clearest example. It’s one of the album’s defining singles for a reason. Uzor’s cool vocal cuts against a clipped, aerodynamic beat, and the way her lines lock with Offer’s gives the track its lift. It’s a smart pairing, and it nods to the band’s ongoing knack for inviting the right collaborators to color their palette without blurring the core identity.

“Here’s What I Need to Know” lands on the other end of the spectrum, bouncier and more insistent, built around a tight synth pulse that almost winks at early house. It’s exactly the kind of track that clarifies why !!! albums on vinyl get so much love in DJ bags. The production is crisp but not brittle, and the low end is mixed to move air. Even on a modest setup, the kick feels warm rather than blunt. That attention to the simple pleasure of a solid groove has long been part of their ethos on Warp, and Let It Be Blue doubles down on it.

What helps the record hang together is pacing. !!! has been reviewed and dissected by the likes of Pitchfork and Stereogum since the dance‑punk boom, and they’ve heard every argument about restraint versus maximal release. Here they answer by sequencing with intent. Peaks are earned. Breath is built in. Even when a track sprints, there’s a sense the band knows exactly when to cut and run, which makes the next rush hit harder. It’s a record made for rooms, not just streams, and you can hear that in the percussion choices and the way synths are left slightly raw at the edges. Nothing feels over‑corrected.

Longtime fans will appreciate how the album keeps !!!’s personality intact while still shifting shapes. Offer remains a charismatic narrator, baiting the rhythm section with quick jabs and sly asides, then stepping back to let the grooves carry the weight. The band’s reputation as live alchemists is relevant here too. These songs feel road‑ready, which tracks with how often their material evolves on stage. If you’ve ever ducked into a Melbourne record store after a show, still buzzing and looking for a souvenir spin, this album scratches that itch in under forty minutes, no filler.

From a collector’s angle, Let It Be Blue is one of those titles that just works on wax. The floor‑friendly tempos and the mix’s open midrange make for easy needle drops and smooth blends. If you’re crate‑digging for !!! vinyl, this sits comfortably next to Myth Takes and Wallop, bridging the spiky funk of their early catalog with the sleeker club instincts they’ve honed over the last decade. And if you’re looking to buy !!! records online, you’ll find Let It Be Blue vinyl popping up at the usual spots, often paired with earlier Warp pressings that make a tidy little run through their evolution. Even shops geared toward vinyl records Australia stock it regularly, which says something about its staying power beyond the hype cycle.

Let It Be Blue won’t shock anyone who’s kept up with the band, but that’s part of its charm. It’s confident, concise, and tuned to movement. The title hints at a reflective streak, and there is a shade of that in the writing, but the record never bogs down. It reaches for joy through craft. That’s why it hits. Put it on, let the bass breathe, and you can almost see the room again, bodies catching the lights, that familiar tilt between song and groove. For !!!, that balance remains the point, and here they nail it.