3AM (La La La) by Confidence Man

Confidence Man 3AM (La La La)

76
ChoruScore
8 reviews
Oct 18, 2024
Release Date
Polydor Records
Label

Confidence Man's 3AM (La La La) arrives as a raucous, Y2K-flavored club record that leans into rave nostalgia and unabashed partycraft. Across professional reviews, critics agree the band has sharpened its dance-pop instincts into a collection of frank floor-fillers that trade irony for ecstatic release, even as repetition and a sagging back half temper the thrills.

The critical consensus, reflected in a 75.5/100 score across 8 professional reviews, praises the album's genre-melding of house, trance, techno and garage and its campy, hedonistic spirit. Reviewers consistently flag “SICKO” and “BREAKBEAT” as standout tracks, with frequent nods to “Real Move Touch” and “I Can’t Lose You” for their instant-hook potency; Pitchfork and The Guardian also single out “Who Knows What You’ll Find?” for giddy highs. Critics note playful production, throwback rave textures and slippery vocal moments from Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, which make several songs feel festival-ready and club-tested.

Opinions diverge on depth and longevity - some reviews celebrate the record as a joyous, live-ready revival of British rave culture and a dancefloor pastiche turned triumphant, while others point to repetitive stretches and diminishing momentum after the album's promising opener. Taken together the professional reviews suggest 3AM (La La La) is worth hearing for its best songs and its party-forward ambitions: not always subtle, but often electrifying, especially in its peak moments that demand to be played loud.

Below, the reviews unpack where the record hits hardest and where it runs out of steam, offering context for whether 3AM (La La La) should be your next club-ready listen.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

SUGAR BONES (vocals)

1 mention

"Although his solos are rare, Sugar Bones’ sultry vocals are cataclysmic."
Clash Music
2

BREAKBEAT

4 mentions

"Sniffer dogs will be working overtime during Breakbeat, which Stephenson delivers with all the sass of Betty Boo"
The Guardian
3

SICKO

7 mentions

"Moore takes the vocal lead in Sicko, transporting us to Happy Mondays-era Hacienda, then melting into a moody outro"
The Guardian
Although his solos are rare, Sugar Bones’ sultry vocals are cataclysmic.
C
Clash Music
about "SUGAR BONES (vocals)"
Read full review
1 mention
90% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU’LL FIND?

6 mentions
91
03:35
2

I CAN’T LOSE YOU

0 mentions
02:35
3

CONTROL

4 mentions
53
03:44
4

SO WHAT

6 mentions
66
03:15
5

BREAKBEAT

4 mentions
100
03:33
6

SICKO

7 mentions
100
06:19
7

REAL MOVE TOUCH

4 mentions
83
04:11
8

FAR OUT

4 mentions
15
04:05
9

JANET

4 mentions
41
03:27
10

SO TRU

4 mentions
50
02:53
11

WRONG IDEA

6 mentions
41
04:34
12

3AM (LA LA LA)

7 mentions
85
05:20

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 10 critics who reviewed this album

Critic's Take

In a bruised, clubby mood the reviewer casts Confidence Man’s 3AM (La La La) as a record full of floor-fillers but running out of stamina; they single out “Who Knows What You’ll Find?” and “Real Move Touch” as moments that still make you get up and dance. The voice stays wry and observational, noting that “Far Out” is perhaps the album’s most earnest cut while “Wrong Idea” and “So What” blur together. Overall the critique praises the band’s commitment to the bacchanal vibe but faults the repetitive second half for draining the record’s momentum.

Key Points

  • “Real Move Touch” is the album's best party moment because its rowdy guest vocal and chaotic energy force you to dance.
  • The album’s core strength is its committed club nostalgia and floor-filling production, but repetition in the second half undercuts momentum.

Themes

dance-pop club nostalgia repetition and exhaustion method recording/inebriation

Critic's Take

In a gloriously hedonistic review voice Robin Murray frames Confidence Man’s 3AM (LA LA LA) as a rave-pop romp where the best tracks - notably “I Can’t Lose You” and “So What” - supply swaggering bravado and festival-ready hooks. He casts the album as the band at their raviest and naughtiest, a moist underground warehouse collision of '90s UKG breakbeats and Y2K shimmer that makes “I Can’t Lose You” and “So What” feel like instant anthems. The reviewer’s tone is celebratory and precise, singling out Janet Planet and Sugar Bones for delivering megalomania and sultry vocal moments that lift these songs above the rest.

Key Points

  • The best song is best because its swaggering bravado and festival-ready hooks make it an instant rave-pop anthem.
  • The album's core strengths are its celebration of ’90s UKG breakbeats, tongue-in-cheek megalomania, and strong vocal personalities.

Critic's Take

Confidence Man's 3AM (LA LA LA) is a familiar, fizzy afterparty that still yields knockout moments, most notably “SICKO” and “BREAKBEAT”. Martin writes with affectionate exasperation, noting that while the album repeats the band's signature party formula it still delivers thrilling peaks - the epic, sweaty tension of “SICKO” and the unabashed playfulness of “BREAKBEAT”. She positions these tracks as the best on 3AM (LA LA LA) because they balance darkness and euphoria, giving the record emotional swings beyond pure revelry. The review reads like a friend who loves the band unreservedly, recommending the best tracks as guaranteed floor-fillers and post-show anthems.

Key Points

  • The best song is "SICKO" because it is described as the album's epic focal point that moves from claustrophobic intensity to bright chorus.
  • The album's core strengths are its irresistible party energy, memorable hooks, and moments of lyrical depth amid raucous dance-pop.

Themes

party hedonism nostalgia dance-pop revival overindulgence vs reflection

Critic's Take

Confidence Man's 3AM (LA LA LA) is presented as an unabashed party salvo that finally turns their knack for live thrills into recorded gold. The reviewer lauds tracks such as “WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU'LL FIND?” and “SICKO” as emblematic high points, painting the album as a neon-flecked, messy, makeup-smeared stumble through club history that rarely lets up. The tone is ecstatic and slightly camp, insisting these songs are dance-floor bait and bona fide hits rather than mere curiosities. Read as an answer to the question of the best songs on 3AM (LA LA LA), the album's standout moments are its most shamelessly fun and referential cuts, which the reviewer treats as essential club anthems.

Key Points

  • The best song is one of the album's horny, industrial stomps that fuses grit with pop gloss, exemplified by "SICKO".
  • The album's core strengths are its unapologetic nostalgia, relentless dance-floor focus, and charismatic lead performances.

Themes

dancefloor revival 90s/00s club nostalgia campy performance genre-melding (house, trance, techno, garage)

Critic's Take

Confidence Man sound like they have stolen the best bits of 90s club culture and reassembled them into joyous late-night confetti on 3AM (La La La). The reviewer keeps returning to the irresistible highs of “WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU’LL FIND?” and “I CAN’T LOSE YOU”, calling the opener giddy and the latter a contagious banger that had Glastonbury in rapture. There is praise too for showy production - especially on “BREAKBEAT” - and for Aidan Moore's turn on “SICKO”, which funnels Hacienda moodiness into a moody outro. Overall the album is celebrated as sweaty, playful dance music meant for escape, with a title track that closes on a melancholic, approving note.

Key Points

  • The best song, "I CAN'T LOSE YOU", is the album's peak because the reviewer calls it a contagious banger that ignited Glastonbury.
  • The album's core strength is its exuberant, finely honed production that channels 90s club influences into irresistible party music.

Themes

90s club/rave nostalgia party/escapism playful production homage and influence

Critic's Take

Confidence Man’s 3AM (La La La) is at its best when it leans into pure club euphoria, with tracks like “So What” and “Real Move Touch” delivering irresistible, live-ready hooks. Ben Forrest’s voice here is measured and affectionate, noting a shift from jokey past records toward unapologetic, retro-infused dance music that revels in Y2K and rave tropes. The review highlights “Control It” as a standout Y2K-tinged banger while praising the album’s knack for making songs that will not leave a crowd standing still. Overall, the record is celebrated less as high art and more as a reliably infectious party album built for the club.

Key Points

  • ‘So What’ is the best song because it combines older Confidence Man charm with a relentless, live-ready dance hook.
  • The album’s core strength is its consistent, retro-informed club energy that prioritizes dancefloor euphoria over variety.

Themes

retro Y2K club nostalgia British rave culture homage dancefloor euphoria shift toward club-focused sound

Critic's Take

Confidence Man’s 3AM (La La La) is their most assured, hedonistic record yet, and the best tracks - notably “Real Move Touch” and “Control” - push the party into euphoric overdrive. The review’s relish for rave nostalgia and club tropes means the best songs on 3AM (La La La) are the ones that marry bubblegum hooks to acid-house muscle, especially “Control” with its maximalist rush and “Real Move Touch” for its turbocharged, Vicks-scented reggae cameo. Gary Ryan’s tone is exuberant and slightly cheeky, celebrating how these tracks turn pastiche into something thrillingly immediate and dancefloor-ready.

Key Points

  • The best song is the one that most vividly marries rave-era textures to pop hooks, exemplified by “Real Move Touch”.
  • The album’s core strength is turning pastiche into immediate, euphoric dancefloor music with strong songwriting.

Themes

rave nostalgia hedonism dancefloor pastiche and reinvention London nightlife

Critic's Take

The band’s third record, 3AM (LA LA LA), is enormous fun yet rarely surprising, a continuation of their 90s Eurodance fixation that still yields bright moments. Confidence Man score high on crowd-pleasing hooks, and the best songs on 3AM (LA LA LA) - notably “SICKO”, “WRONG IDEA” and the title track “3AM (LA LA LA)” - are where their live energy translates best. Rhys Morgan’s tone is affectionate but measured, praising Planet’s vocal turns and occasional forward trajectory while noting an overall surface-level palette. For listeners asking which are the best tracks on 3AM (LA LA LA), start with “SICKO”, “WRONG IDEA” and the title cut for the album’s most immediate rewards.

Key Points

  • SICKO is best for its big-beat production and Planet's striking vocal turn.
  • The album's core strength is kinetic, crowd-ready Eurodance nostalgia that translates well live.