Almost three months ago, Alan Palomo surprised us by releasing a new Neon Indian single out of the blue. “Annie” was an excellent reggae-tinged pop number that won our hearts instantly, and made us crave details about the follow-up to his 2011 album Era Extraña. Well, that moment has arrived, since he announced his third album VEGA INTL. Night School today. The record will be out October 16 via Mom and Pop/Transgressive.
He also shared the album’s second single, “Slumlord.” The intro makes us believe it’s a moody ballad, but then the tempo slowly picks up until it morphs into a disco-driven party, all while keeping some of the spacey effects that are part of Neon Indian’s signature sound. It’s great to hear him evolve and try different things, but it’s commendable that he did it while keeping his personality and letting it shine. The song is lengthy for a pop single, but when it ends after five minutes and 15 seconds, we wish it’d go on and on.