Alan Palomo

With Neon Indian and on his own, Alan Palomo balances heady atmospheres with catchy songwriting while turning the sounds of the past into something new. One of chillwave's definitive acts, Neon Indian incorporated the sounds of Todd Rundgren and Italo-disco into its hazy but hooky swirl of disco, electro, dream, and synth pop, and 2009's Psychic Chasms lived up to the hype generated by the project's early singles. By 2015's Vega Intl. Night School, Palomo had taken the project in a more polished, danceable direction with a dazzling mix of funk, new wave, and reggae. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Palomo's work as a producer and soundtrack composer added even more aspects to his music, and 2023's World of Hassle -- his first album under his own name -- riffed on the concept of indulgent soft rock solo albums with his trademark blend of reverence and creativity.