Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

My Friend The Chimpanzee – I Love This Place (2022)

If the Beastie Boys were to have a child with Moby, but it was raised by The Smiths and Modest Mouse, the chances are My Friend The Chimpanzee would be it. Based in Austria, the genre-bending duo is quickly building a reputation for innovative melodies and engaging lyrics. While the group has only two songs to its name, Lukas Wieser and Josef Umschaid have already received international coverage. Featured on Less Than 1000 Followers, Indie Top 39, Jammerzine, Sinusoidal Music, Nexus Music Blog and European Indie Music Network, the lads are not to be ignored. Come with us as we dive into their latest single ‘I Love This Place’.



Following their well-received debut track ‘Time Traveller’ (read our review here), ‘I Love This Place’ adopts a hazy, ethereal and dream-like ambience. Far more haunting than ‘Time Traveller’, the new single reaches out into the soundscape with a cinematic quality. Synth-driven, but laden with drumbeats, there is an almost kaleidoscopic feel to the track; however, a simplicity also lies beneath the surreal sound.

While the melody can have you drifting away in a misty forest of sound, there is a provocative theme within. As with all of their music, the track is inspired by literary works; in this case, Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit and it truly represents the underlying message. My Friend The Chimpanzee explains that ‘I Love This Place’ “…contrast our love for this world and all the beautiful things in it with the revulsion we feel for the violence and destruction caused by humans.”

Filled with a haunting sincerity with melancholic sentimentality, My Friend The Chimpanzee hypnotises us with ‘I Love This Place’.

For more from My Friend The Chimpanzee check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.