MGMT use Hot Press to answer critics

But in an exclusive and deeply honest interview in today’s Hot Press, the band dismiss suggestions that they've lost the plot, arguing that they are remaining true to their roots.

In a cover story that examines what's behind their apparent musical volte face – and whether the Brooklyn electro rockers can take their audience with them – the band’s Andrew VanWyngarden tells us: “I think we’re never going to be able to escape that desire we had early on to confuse people and throw them off and change it up a lot.”

MGMT have admitted that they considered asking their record label Columbia not to release any singles at all from Congratulations – hardly the route to multi-million sales! So what were they trying to achieve?

“To make music that we think of as pop music,"VanWyngarden insists, "but which will hopefully freak some people out and make some people happy and confuse people and all sorts of stuff!"

Bandmate Ben Goldwasser agrees: “I think the experimental music scene was a big influence on the band in a weird way. With those guys it’s all about the approach to making music and what that music means and it always involves messing with the formula a little bit. We took a lot away from that."

Get the full story of MGMT in today’s Hot Press with the band on the cover.