Laid-back, atmospheric 2009 tracks like “Deadbeat Summer” and “Terminally Chill” established Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo as a chillwave founding father. But Palomo’s un-self-conscious messiness also made him an easy target. Era Extraña picks up as if that criticism (and 2010) never happened. Some tracks sound 25 years old and they’re one Martin Rushent assist away from being genuine synth-pop hits; others resemble M83 in even softer focus, with ethereal vocals lodged ?behind a glitchy wall of sound that turns the line ?”I could be a shadow” from frilly metaphor to incontrovertible fact.
