Before Jonathan Bates adopted his current moniker Big Black Delta, the Venezuelan native fronted Los Angeles lo-fi outfit Mellowdrone and banked time as a member of M83’s touring band. Judging from the synth propulsion that fuels Big Black Delta’s upcoming self-titled debut album (out April 30), Bates carefully studied Anthony Gonzalez’s “head in the clouds, heart in the Reagan years” modus operandi — ’80s-enriched bombast, pulsating electro-buzz, vocoder wizadry, and teen-soap song titles (see “Huggin & Kissin”) abound. Stream the entire 13-track opus here.
:audio=0:112649:playlist:Big Black Delta, Big Black Delta: