The old adage of “I write drunk and revise sober,” while often misattributed to Ernest Hemingway, actually originates from Peter De Vries’ 1964 novel Reuben, Reuben. The words are uttered by a character loosely based on poet Dylan Thomas, who, like Hemingway, was fond of drink. Whoever said it, plenty of artists have taken the message to heart, including bacchanalian provocateurs Confidence Man.
The Australian dance-pop group—frontpeople Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, as well as masked instrumentalists Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild—wrote their new album, 3AM (LA LA LA), at London’s Pony Studios when they were soused late at night or very early in the morning. As someone who’s been lucky enough to see Confidence Man a handful of times over the last couple of years, this revelation is hardly surprising; while my friends and I had the time of our lives at those shows, no one seemed to be having quite as much fun as Con Man. Whether Janet Planet and Sugar Bones sported their own versions of David Byrne’s massive suit, replete with mechanized shoulders in time to the beat, or the former was decked out in a light-up cone bra, they were always dancing with abandon, as if there was no such thing as tomorrow. Bones would whip Planet through the air, and their coordinated moves were the cherry on top of their already irresistible beats. No doubt about it—they’re party people who work best in a vodka-soaked, orgiastic atmosphere.
Like their stellar 2022 album TILT, 3AM (LA LA LA) takes inspiration from warehouse raves and the sounds of the past, but these references don’t feel as fresh as they did before. TILT nodded at UK house music and other genres, reconfiguring these references so they became even greater than the sum of their parts, an enviable achievement that their latest effort falls short of. That’s not to say 3AM (LA LA LA) isn’t a fun time; undoubtedly I will be blasting these tunes at every afterparty from now till kingdom come. However, it’s the aural equivalent of walking into a rager where you know everyone there, and almost exactly how the night will unfold. It’ll be sweaty and exhilarating, but not exactly surprising.
We’ve got all the essential Confidence Man ingredients here: Planet’s playground chant delivery, relentless attitude from Bones, spacious synths and chest-rattling beats. Opener “WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU’LL FIND?” leans into the Confidence Man’s penchant for nostalgia, with Planet imploring: “I wanna party like we used to / Just getting high.” Her voice echoes dreamily in the background of the chorus, floating alongside effervescent synth and a persistent beat. “I CAN’T LOSE YOU” is glitchy yet blissed-out, and its most euphoric moments are sure to fill the floor.
Stratospheric synth, a clapping beat and Planet’s sing-song vocals weave together “SO WHAT,” which highlights one of Confidence Man’s dark horse talents: their lyrics. Sure, Con Man are made for the party, but their lyrics—swinging from the cheekiness of 2018’s “C.O.O.L Party” to the empowerment of 2022’s “Woman”—are part of what makes them stand apart from every other electro-pop project brandishing synthesizers. The band have their repetitive moments—mindlessness and tapping into our basest impulses is what dance music is for—but Confidence Man dig deeper than expected. On its surface, “SO WHAT” is a carpe diem club track, YOLO for 2024: “Too many days of wasting your life / Oh woah / Too many ways to make it alright / Say it say it / Baby no excuses tonight.” But then later on she insists, “Slap myself awake / C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” a moment of honesty that any sleepy person at the party (me) can relate to. The song embraces a nihilistic hedonism, relayed simply and potently: “Say no / say yeah / so what / so what / so what.”
The tantalizing epic “SICKO” serves as the album’s focal point. Bones does his best Trent Reznor impression as Confidence Man serve up their take on “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, oozing sex over emphatic percussion and squelchy synth. The track may be dripping in perspiration, but the lyrics are unexpectedly reflective as Bones sings, “I disconnect / So disconnected / Been dead for days / So resurrected.” “SICKO” explores overindulgence and the lure of oblivion as a way to escape the confines of reality, with some wordplay thrown in for good measure: “I am the muse / I am the music / I’m born to lose / So watch me lose it.” The chorus itself opens up, sunny and bright compared to the surging claustrophobia of the verses. And later on, the song’s darkness falls away almost completely as “SICKO” grows quieter and more contemplative, exploring trip-hop à la Groove Armada. You can almost imagine Bones leaving the grimy warehouse and letting the early morning light wash over him.
Whatever my qualms about 3AM (LA LA LA)’s familiarity, no one is on these hellraisers’ level right now. Confidence Man are mischievous, they’re silly, they’re the life of the party. There are plenty of songs about doing drugs, but few are as unabashedly playful as “BREAKBEAT.” There are plenty of odes to friendship, but few feel as true-to-life as the fragmented fun of “JANET.” There are plenty of people making dance-pop right now, but none of them are as ferociously bombastic as Confidence Man.
Clare Martin is a cemetery enthusiast and Paste’s associate music editor. Go harass her on Twitter @theclaremartin.
