By Ari Howorth
Staff Writer
For Neon Indian’s new release, “Era Extrana,” recording in an isolated apartment in Finland, aided the creation of the chaotic and experimental album in the burgeoning chillwave genre, which stresses the use of abstract electronics to create an ambient, dreamy style.
Dan Palomom (Neon Indian) has created an album that engages the listener with a fresh and captivating sound. The album retains the unique feel of his first release, “Psychic Chasms,” and maintains an original sound that is thoroughly entertaining
“Era Extrana” remains very close to the style that Neon Indian has established for himself. It uses the same whimsical atmosphere that is present in “Psychic Chasms,” but it takes on a darker tone. This is present even in song titles, such as “Fallout,” “Heart: Decay,” and “Halogen (I Could be a Shadow).”
The depressing tone of the album can be attributed to the conditions in which it was written. Palomon spent an entire winter in an apartment in Finland and uses his music to express the solitude and loneliness that he felt living in Finland through long, billowing synthesizer buildups with slow, repetitive beats.
The album is opened by “Heart: Attack,” a one-minute explosion of transcendental sound reminiscent of life inside of a video game. This abstract opening is the first in a powerful set of three heart-related songs staggered throughout the album.
“Heart: Decay,” the second track in the set, stands out as one of the darkest tracks on the album. Its ominous looped synth progression with static vocals in the background creates an almost apocalyptic mood that effectively evokes feelings of hopelessness and loneliness from the listener. It acts as the transition to the darker songs of the album.
“Heart: Release” concludes the trilogy and acts as a fulfilling escape from the bleak aura of the previous two songs. It lifts the album onto a happier note and acts as a bridge to the final song. “Arcade Blues” is an upbeat song that concludes the album with a beat reminiscent of an ‘80s dance song. It makes for a satisfying ending to the album.
“Polish Girl” stands out as the strongest track on the album for its unique and lively sound. Its happy mood appears before the album’s shift to dark songs. It supplies more vocals than most of the album and is one of the few songs with a defined chorus. This provides structure that is not present on the instrumental tracks.
Though the albumn changes from an optimistic tone to depressing and bleak one, “Era Extrana” is a catchy and introspective album about lost love and solitude that demonstrates Neon Indian’s creativity through electro-pop. It is a positive step in the chillwave community and stays true to the sound Neon Indian established with of “Psychic Chasms.” “Era Extrana” was released on September 13 and is available in music stores nation-wide and online.
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