Neon Indian’s evolution from a seminal chillwave group to one of the most exciting electro/synth pop outfits today is clear in their third album VEGA INTL. Night School. However, to restrict Alan Palomo (the group’s frontman and composer of much of the material) to synth pop is to misunderstand him and this record, as it effortlessly brings together hip hop beats, 80s pop, brief nods to reggae, squelching funk bass, and of course, his signature heavily distorted 16-bit synths and falsetto vocal lines over the 14 tracks, all with an appropriately neon finish.

The record is Palomo’s ode to the night; an anthem for the club, looking for love, and finding the beauty in it’s aftermath, making the night and all that goes with it the obvious theme throughout. On ‘Glitzy Hive’, a track with echoes of early 80s disco funk, he frequently reminds us in the main hook that “she loves to party… paaartyyy”, whilst on ‘Techno Clique’ he orders us to “feel the night” and not to lament any “heartbreak in the room” but embrace it as part of the whole experience. You can’t help but groove to all of the tracks and this is clearly Palomo’s intention, playing the guide as you immerse yourself in the dance.

‘Slumlord’, one of two pre-released singles on the record (the other being the terrific ‘Annie’, which brings in the off beat reggae hits) is probably it’s best track; a wandering synth line drops into a housey beat which would be at home in any party, and it is one which will certainly stick in your head. Like after any good night he “can still hear the beat” and goes on in the chorus to describe that all too familiar feeling of beats going “on and on and on…” once you’ve left the club. ‘Street level’ and ‘News from the sun’ explore this idea further, retaining the ever-present synthy funk, and it is this thematic quality to the album which makes it truly exceptional.

The never ceasing beat holds this album together, meaning the distortion and at times turbulent synth lines won’t prevent you from getting down, for this is definitely Neon Indian’s most danceable record to date. 2009’s Psychic chasms and 2011’s Era extrana bought Neon Indian and Palomo into the public’s attention as genre defining chillwave albums, but you can hear his growth as an artist in the vast exploration of genres, surely making this new release worth the four year wait.

Harry Stott