Track Review: Dirty Projectors – “Gun Has No Trigger”

It’s been quite a while, or at least it’s felt like it, but a followup to Dirty Projectors’ stellar 2009 album Bitte Orca is officially eminent. Details are scarce, but back in October, David Longstreth hinted to Spin that the upcoming album would be a creepy affair, for “a lot of the songs are about horror and fear.” Well, “Gun Has No Trigger” has an undeniably foreboding element. On the surface, it evokes Bitte Orca, especially “Stillness is the Move,” but more bereft than buoyant. Longstreth’s sharp yelps are balanced by those signature harmonized “ooh”s, except here they shiver more than they soothe. Underneath it all is an irresistible vintage hip-hop-touched drum beat. “Gun Has No Trigger” reminds us exactly what we loved about Dirty Projectors, while hinting at a promise of new territories ahead. The title and release date of the forthcoming album are currently unannounced.