The Third Chimpanzee [EP]

It’s definitely too short, but it’s worth every penny, ‘The Third Chimpanzee’ is a work of innovation and instinct.

It takes several listens to realize that the tracks on The Third Chimpanzee each function on an interior logic that’s quite satisfying to climb into, like being inside a video demonstration of a Rubik’s Cube getting solved over and over.

What Chimpanzee could use is simply more music. The EP works well as a compact statement, and even in its short form it’s more fulfilling and inspired than any of the last half-dozen lengthy Depeche Mode albums. But it feels incomplete.

In recent times, Gore seems to have become less interested in writing the kinds of instrumental hooks and taglines that made some of his best-known pop hits so indelible. But there, three minutes into "Howler", comes Gore's best hook in years, decades maybe. ... None of the other tracks on The Third Chimpanzee reach such atmospheric heights. But the tense synth lines on "Capuchin" and the more uptempo groove and subtle, interlocking marimbas on "Vervet" are more indications of Gore letting his instincts come to the fore.

The Third Chimpanzee unmistakably feels like a side project. It's intriguing to hear what sounds and moods he can create outside of the context of his band, but even compared to the more fully realized MG, the EP merely sounds tentative. However, it's worth noting that the striking cover art was painted by Pockets Warhol, a capuchin monkey, which is fascinating.