Icons - EP

On the one hand, you could hear the big beats and blacklight-ready synths of Icons as an exercise in ’90s nostalgia—the soundtrack to historically accurate raves made by modern hermits who watched them on YouTube. On the other, it’s a canny next step in the evolution of UK club and bass music, whose bright, propulsive sound served as a rejoinder to the grim majesty of dubstep. Like hyperpop, it’s both stylish and playful: Just follow the mournful robot guides of “Dust” and “Mainframe”, or the rhythm track of “Ghosts”, which simulates the squirming, slightly out-of-control feeling of a strong tickle. They’re weird. But they come in peace.