Digitalism : Optimism
Digitalism ask their audience what is needed more than ever, and it’s something perhaps we all need too: optimism. We live in a precarious time with existential threats to the art world and beyond—the obvious offenders are AI’s soulless theft and the insurmountable attention economy. We’ve never been so connected while so much division is being sown. With music especially, it can be hard to keep your chin up given the industry’s fickleness in the face of such perils, but when music that touches the heart comes along, it’s a reminder as to why resisting all that is worth it.
I like to believe the German electro house duo of Jens Moelle and İsmail Tüfekçi felt similarly when conceiving Optimism, their first album in seven years, first of the 2020s, and one boldly marking their third decade of operations. Nearly 20 years have passed since their 2007 debut, Idealism, so it’s been a long time since the joyous, genre-bending bloghouse party that propped them up. For their subsequent albums, they’d enlarge their hybrid electro-rock to ambitious proportions, often succumbing to bloat despite their gorgeous sound design.
Now, Moelle and Tüfekçi have abandoned their meticulous studio tinkering to create no-nonsense bangers like those that put them on the map. With their scene’s contemporaries like Justice and Tiga also miraculously re-entering the public consciousness, the crowd-pleasing approach speaks to a greater demand: The people want to have fun and dance out their pain.
Delivering what it says on its sleeve, Optimism is exactly that. This is a heady barrage of all sorts of four-on-the-floor house that serves to uplift, with little time to breathe—besides the “Inspiration Room Interlude” midway through with Digitalism’s narration on sifting through their record collection, affirming the idea of music touching the heart: “If you love music, take your inspiration from somewhere.” That respite is a conceptual rejuvenation between the incessant sonic elation.
The purely positive “Space Invaders” begins “searching for a better place” and finds it in its anthemic chorus, while “Double Jam” prolongs its vibrancy with strutting, acid-infused filter house. Later, “Golden” is more Ibiza-ready with a gilded kinetic drop that’ll instantly invigorate early-hours dancers with a second wind. The triumphant “Starburst” embodies the epic French touch as discoey strings collide with sunset techno. The chopped-up “House Alarm” first owes its existence to Justice, yet as it fluidly enters The Chemical Brothers’ big beat territory, it’s a standout history lesson of wildly imaginative dance music.
Beyond immensely pleasurable beats, Digitalism provide tongue-in-cheek lyrics that combat the angst that catalyzed the record. “AOA (The Age of Anyone)” shares the dance-punk DNA of an early-tracklist LCD Soundsystem album cut, but memorably comments on today’s instantaneous connection absurdly shaking up traditional societal expectations and possibilities: “Government is voting with emojis”; “The stock markets trade on serotonin”; and “The last news anchor resigned to start a gaming channel.” Meanwhile, “Achtung! Optimism” repeatedly proclaims, “I wanna run away tonight,” its propulsive kicks then thrusting forward in a very on-the-nose manner.
As Optimism winds down with back-to-back glittery deep house on “City of Love” and “Four Seasons,” Digitalism have succeeded in returning to form. The duo have harnessed what made people embrace them in the first place and widened their sound palette in the process. There’s no fluff either, appropriately so—without being around the bush, Digitalism acknowledge dancing is an antidote to today’s darkness.
Label: Magnetism
Year: 2026
Similar Albums:
Digitalism : Optimism
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
