Latest single and video would be perfect — but something is in the way.

We’ve been long-time fans of Mile Me Deaf. Since we first caught wind of the band, it has just gone from strength to strength and reached new psychedelic peaks. Of course, MMD was never one to stay too still and the styles shifted around a fair bit, but those were allowed so long as the songs stayed good.

That’s where we reach the grey area of new single Light Ltd. Musically, its sublime; it departs from the band’s recent psychedelic overtones and swaps to a moodier, indie-electropop feel. It might verge a bit on the darker edge of europop, but it does so well.

Even the music video, in its shoestring style, is fittingly outsider-ish and raw enough to win over some indie credibility. The trouble is that this isn’t Mile Me Deaf’s greatest lyrical offering, so a video that draws attention to it with subtitles compromises the entire experience.

As a listening experience, the synths do it enough justice for it to be permissible. But whereas the vibrant psychedelia of the past meant any lyrical shortcomings could be passed off as psychedelic-induced haziness, the new sound puts MMD in front of a new audience — one that will spot lyrical weaknesses.

Musically, the transition suits MMD well. Let’s hope its just a bad session.

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/361947371&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true