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Nov 26, 2013 Delorean By Billy Hamilton

Has dreamy synthpop outstayed its welcome? Four years have passed since chillwave first infected the pixelated pages of blog-land, when the likes of Washed Out, Neon Indian, and Memory Tapes lassoed listeners with their aerated grooves. But each act has stood still since, unable to progress from the period’s bliss-heavy effects and honeycomb melodies.

Returning with the new album Apar, Delorean have as much to prove as their contemporaries. The Barcelona-based quartet’s breakout 2010 LP Subiza epitomized the sounds of its time. Its aesthetic was as fresh as a Balearic breeze, while its tone was effortless—a post-club comedown before the actual comedown sets in. It was fun, sure, but it also felt knowingly passé.

Billed by the band as their “big production album,” Apar should be a serious step up in ambition. And on first listen, it’s hard to argue that point. Opening number “Spirit” is a gorgeous flood of bass and synth that immerses the ear canals, and “Dominion” wriggles its hips and shakes its maracas before exploding as an ebullient apogee.

Sadly, these giddy heights are frontloaded into the record. What follows is a tedious trundle through lifeless terrain, such as the meandering “Keep Up” and ‘80s pop identity crisis “Inspire.” Yes, album closer “Still You” satisfies as a jingling swan song, but too much here is a bland facsimile of chillwave’s past glories. And that’s a major problem, because if you think about it, those glories weren’t really all that glorious. (www.dlrn.net)

Author rating: 4.5/10