MGMT’s New Album Influenced By Surfing, Lady GaGa

February 9, 2010 By TJ 12 Comments

MGMT - myspace.com

The countdown — quite literally — is on for MGMT‘s new album, Congratulations. The band placed a countdown clock on their official website to stir up excitement to the new set, which will be the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Ocular Spectacular.

Being released on April 13, Congratulations was recorded in studios in NY and CA with producer Peter Kember at the helm, helping the group achieve a sound that MGMT’s Andrew Vanwyngarden says “feels true to who we really are.”

In an interview with Spin.com, Vanwyngarden says the biggest influence on the sound and feel of the new album is his new found love of surfing. The vibe can be heard most on a new song, entitled “It’s Working.” “When you’re surfing, there’s a specific break you’re paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, ‘It’s working.’ The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It’s like surfing on ecstasy!”

Another unlikely influence? Lady GaGa. The band uses the pop phenom as inspiration for what they call a “very nightmare-ish sounding” instrumental track called “Lady Dada’s Nightmare.”

Congratulations‘ official tracklist:

“It’s Working”
“Song for Dan Treacy”
“Someone’s Missing”
“Flash Delirium”
“I Found a Whistle”
“Siberian Breaks”
“Brian Eno”
“Lady Dada’s Nightmare”
“Congratulations”