I think the main appeal with Swim – Caribou’s magnificent 2010 album - was the way Dan Snaith created electronic music that didn’t really sound like electronic music, which undoubtedly had a lot to do with him spending the decade prior crafting albums that jumped from a wide set of styles and genres, often with a psych- prefix attached. In this respect, “Can’t Do Without You” – Snaith’s first release under the Caribou alias in four years – is possibly the first time he approaches a new song without any major alterations in sound or direction, which isn’t a big surprise considering the success and influence that Swim found, reaching audiences far and wide compared to its predecessors. This isn’t to say that “Can’t Do Without You” could’ve been lifted right of that album. The atmosphere here is warmer and less intimate, and if Swim was borne out of the desire to create “dance music that sounds like it’s made out of water”, then “Can’t Do Without You” is the sound of music shaped from Swim’s DNA slowly flushed against rocks inside a cave.
With news that Caribou’s sixth album Our Love will feature Owen Pallett and Jessy Lanza amongst its collaborators makes me question just how representative “Can’t Do Without You” will end up being, especially if the bio description is anything to go by, explaining the albums as Caribou’s “most soulful record to date, chock-full of heartfelt lyrics and organic nature which cuts through bubbling synths and blissful euphoria of their synthetic construction.” We have to wait until October to find out, so for now, “Can’t Do Without You” serves a not-so-subtle reminder of everything that made Swim one of 2010’s true highlights.
Our Love is out October 6 in UK/EU and October 7 in US/Canada via Merge and October 3 in Germany via City Slang.