XLOV have built their name on a high-concept, visually striking rollout that has garnered a dedicated fanbase. And with their most recent album, that concept started to pair with music that felt more fleshed out and befitting of the group’s natural theatricality. New single Hush continues the forward electro motion but forgets that a great dance track needs a great chorus.

Most of Hush is delivered in… well… a hush. It’s a mixture of singing and talking and even during the song’s more vocal-heavy moments, the melodies feel more like window dressing than well-structured, sequential storytelling. This climaxes in a centerpiece that delivers the drama but struggles to captivate through its own merits. Instead, Hush relies heavily on its production to signify importance. The plucked percussion of the instrumental is relentless, echoing the persistent throb of the electro beat. This heightens as we reach the chorus, throwing us into a whirlwind of sound.

Imagine how cool this would all be if Hush gave XLOV just as much to do. Throughout the song, it feels like the members are vamping along to the beat rather than acting as the driving force. This is an important distinction because I imagine Hush would fall apart if you removed its backing track and replaced it with, say, an acoustic guitar. The best songs can be rearranged in countless ways and still retain their star quality, but Hush feels more like a striking performance piece. Maybe that’s all XLOV need to do, though. After all, they are great performers.

Grade: C