B-Side Guys

The Hidden Cameras have never shied away from spiritual imagery, and on “How Do You Love?”—their first single in several years—frontman Joel Gibb delivers a dance floor sermon that turns existential questioning into collective celebration. Released via MOTOR Music, this track signals a significant evolution for a band that began two decades ago as a “gay church folk music” collective but now fully embraces disco’s emotional salvation.

The production captures that precise intersection where euphoria meets melancholy—disco’s emotional sweet spot. Owen Pallett’s string arrangements provide dramatic sweeps that elevate the track beyond standard dance fare, while the relentless bassline creates the physical momentum that drives both body and spirit forward. Piano chords punctuate emotional peaks with the perfect balance of restraint and release, creating moments that feel simultaneously intimate and communal.

What makes this particular comeback compelling is how it honors The Hidden Cameras’ collaborative history while pushing into fresh territory. The remix package accompanying the single demonstrates this perfectly—Pet Shop Boys transform the track into sleek electro-pop, Boys’ Shorts amplify its emotional grandeur with house pianos, and Spanish duo Hidrogenesse reinterpret it as melodic house reminiscent of Hercules and Love Affair. Each version speaks to a different facet of the original’s emotional core.

Gibb’s vocals maintain the conversational intimacy that has defined The Hidden Cameras since their 2001 debut Ecce Homo, but now this quality serves to humanize the vastness of the dance floor rather than the band’s earlier chamber-pop arrangements. The titular question—”How do you love?”—becomes both personal inquiry and universal invitation, transforming philosophical pondering into physical movement.

For a band that has always explored the intersection of sexuality, spirituality, and spectacle, “How Do You Love?” represents The Hidden Cameras at their most accessible while sacrificing none of their subversive spirit. The dancefloor becomes their new cathedral, and this track serves as both benediction and baptism into their next musical chapter.