The song ’examines relational confusion induced by drugs (or simply mania).’
When Unknown Mortal Orchestra announced their upcoming album Sex & Food, we were promised a pretty diverse set of tracks, and the album was said to include “a vibrant sonic lens that spans battered drum-machine funk, doomy and thrashing rock, and pink-hued psychedelic disco.”
“American Guilt” was a relatively straightforward grungy rock track, and sure enough, the next song from the album takes things in a completely different direction. UMO premiered “Not In Love, We’re Just High” on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show this morning, and it’s a more disco-influenced track led by a soulful and psychedelic Wurlitzer keyboard.
According to press materials, “The song examines relational confusion induced by drugs (or simply mania). The couple at the center of the song realize that they’re not actually in love, they are indeed simply high, and how a realization that may seem sad on its surface could actually be quite liberating and euphoric.” The band’s Ruban Nielson spoke with Lowe about the song, and said that he was aiming to make something more keyboard-based, like “a UMO version of [an Adele song],” since a lot of the rest of Sex & Food is more focused on the guitar.
Sex & Food comes out on April 6th via Jagjaguwar. Watch the video for “Not In Love, We’re Just High” above, and learn more about the upcoming album here.
