Is there any band having more fun than Confidence Man right now? Catch the Aussie party-starters live, and you’ll witness one of the most entertaining shows around. A hedonistic circus led by dual front-people Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, the experience is a blur of choreographed dance routines, costume changes, champagne showers, and if you’re lucky, even fake blood. Oh, and plenty of fun.
Their latest album, 3AM (La La La), distills that psychoactive live energy, capturing the mind-altering experience of seeing the band on stage. Building on the fast-paced sound established on 2018’s Confident Music for Confident People and its thrilling follow-up Tilt, 3AM (La La La) draws deeper from ‘90s UK rave. The band’s mission? To “re-fantasise pop music and take it beyond reality,” a vision frontwoman Janet Planet playfully calls “bubblegum wave.”
The band’s move from Australia to Dalston seeps into the album, especially on the wide-eyed opener ‘Who Knows What You’ll Find’, where Janet teases: “meet me on the corner of Mare Street and Ridley Road”—a fun reference, but also a geographical impossibility. Much like navigating after a heavy night (or a Confidence Man show), these streets don’t actually cross. The song’s pulsating beats evoke the feeling of warehouse parties, sweaty dance floors, and hazy afterparties—a perfect introduction to the album’s vibe. Even the title feels electric, nodding to legends The KLF and the infectious energy of 3AM at the best party you’ve ever been to.
Everything about 3AM (La La La) is hypercharged and maximalist: throbbing bass, sweltering synths, Janet’s sugary vocals, and Sugar’s seductive purr. ‘Janet’ builds on Balearic riffs and is a shot of pure euphoria, ready-made for festival sing-alongs. ‘Breakbeat’, which opens with Janet declaring, “I got a pill in my pocket and I really wanna drop it/but I’m not gonna pop it till I hear a breakbeat,” is a careening mix of its titular beats, dropping into Ibiza-ready synths. ‘SO TRU’ offers a slinky earworm with a dusting of UK Garage, while ‘Control’ pulses with fuzzy beats and an elastic bassline.
3AM (La La La) is a heady pick-n-mix bag of bliss-inducing hooks and exhilarating production, proving what anyone who’s seen Confidence Man live already knows: they’re still the life of the party. Lock in, let go, and embrace the 3AM magic—because when Confidence Man are throwing the party, you won’t want it to end.
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