The Chemical Brothers: For that Beautiful Feeling - Seamless, sweet psychedelia

Last April, a few days before they played Coachella, The Chemical Brothers announced their 10th studio album by posting a photograph on Instagram of a billboard incongruously positioned in the middle of a desert, which is precisely the kind of stunt they used to pull in a field near Worthy Farm after Glastonbury in the noughties.

With the exception of a few tours circa 2015, when Ed Simons went on leave to go back to college, The Chemical Brothers never split up. No Geography, in 2019, was an impressive return to form after a few years of treading water with eye-catching guests but precious little material to rival their best work.

For that Beautiful Felling continues this positive and progressive trajectory, introducing a vocalist named Halo Maud on two tracks. Skipping Like a Stone features Beck, who appears to be busying himself with collaborations with the Chems and Gorillaz.

Just when the album begins to plod a little, For that Beautiful Feeling explodes into the kaleidoscopic psychedelia of Feels Like I’m Dreaming. The Chemical Brothers don’t exactly reinvent their own wheel, but they drive it superbly well with tracks that seamlessly segue each other to give the listener a truly beautiful feeling.