Track Review: Neon Indian – “Fallout”

Taking his place as the final act of the chill-wave foursome (with Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, and Memory Tapes) to follow-up his breakthrough, Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo has returned with both an album announcement for Era Extraña (due September 13th via Mom + Pop Music) and the first MP3 from the collection, “Fallout.” And where all of his predecessors have paved the way for Neon Indian, some with greater levels of success (Toro and Washed Out) than others (Memory Tapes), Palomo will probably have the easiest time returning of the four, as it seems generally assumed that his album will reach a certain bar of quality. And, “Fallout” does nothing to destroy this expectation, but it does nothing to capitalize on it, either. Seemingly a play on the terms “fallout” (like nuclear winter shit) and “fall out” (the repeated lyric is about “falling out of love”), “Fallout” never has a problem feeling smart or well-put together. But, the deep, almost whispered vocals and subtle production choices and eventual not-so-big finish is all the stuff of a strong deep-cut from an album, not a lead single. Whatever your opinion of Neon Indian, “Fallout” is unlikely to change it. If anything, it just makes us hungry for more.