After getting into a fiery plagiarism dispute with Demi Lovato last month, Brooklyn noise pop duo Sleigh Bells have treated fans to new single Champions of Unrestricted Beauty.
Combining Sleigh Bells’ characteristically crunchy beats, booming bass lines and catchy vocals with melancholy synth layers, Champions of Unrestricted Beauty evokes a more restrained and nuanced tone than many of the group’s previous tracks.
Reigning in some of the more in-your-face attitude of their pair’s signature sound, the latest track see s the group more close towards brighter electro pop.
Notably absent are the face melting guitar licks and aggressive instrumentals of early hits Riot Rhythm and Infinity Guitars.
This said, Sleigh bells remains anything but timid. Derek Miller’s pop savy musical arrangements and Alexis Krauss’ bombastic yet melodic vocals have always carried the day and Champions is no exception.
While the group’s lyrics have often taken an adversarial tone, Champions talks self-empowerment with emotive chorus line ‘And you might be a champion of unrestricted beauty/But so often you fail, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.’
The track is the first release from the duo since their third album Bitter Rivals in 2013.
While there has been little detail as to what fans might expect for the pair’s fourth LP, the tweet announcing Champions stated that the band were in the process of placing the ‘finishing touches’ on the new record.
A release date for Sleigh bells’ yet untitled album has yet to be revealed, but given how close the album is to completion there can be little doubt that more details will begin to surface in the coming weeks.
Read more: Sleigh Bells accuse Demi Lovato of illegal sampling