

Thirty years of musical partnership have given Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes a real knack for shorthand when crafting catchy, large-scale electronic music. The songs on the Sydney duo’s seventh album waste no time getting their hooks in, often packing sing-along moments and then dropping away while still feeling fresh. It’s as if PNAU set out to remove any barriers of entry, which fits the album’s communal, ecstatic tone. That’s definitely true of opener “Nirvana”, which leads with a Justice-esque vocal hook and then adds a thumping pulse and guest rapping from Atlanta duo EARTHGANG. Likewise, “Chemistry” anchors itself with a festival-ready refrain (“Hey you/You’re losing your chemistry”) from British artist Master Peace, before “Eternal” offers an even more straightforward, almost sermon-like mantra courtesy of Senegalese American singer Marieme (“You are eternal”). It should come as no surprise that AHHCade flows like a blockbuster party mix. Yet even when cycling through so many disparate collaborators and subgenres, PNAU always sound exactly like themselves. And the ceiling for their big-tent dance music feels even higher this time around.