Tonight’s Concert Pick: Neon Indian at First Unitarian Church

It’s impossible to deny the enduring influence of ’80s pop culture, especially with Madonna look-alikes and glitzy music videos currently dominating Top 40. But for every handful of artists inspired by glossy ’80s pop, there’s another act that draws from a different part of the era, such as the chillwave genre’s appropriation of techno-ridden beats. (Think less “flashy art project” and more “low-fi dance party”, using synthesizers to their fullest but skipping the garish costume changes and extraneous choreographed dancing.) Neon Indian, led by the 23-year-old Texas-native Alan Palomo, joined the genre with 2009’s Psychic Chasms; his follow-up album, Era Extraña, sticks to the same formula of matching deep monotone vocals with an ever-changing, over-worked synthesizer. The deluxe package of Era Extraña even comes complete with a mini analog synthesizer, as well a t-shirt and poster. Perhaps Paloma isn’t completely immune to the high-production values of the ’80s, but it’s safe to say he caters to a crowd that favors subdued harmonies over big hair and power ballads. Neon Indian performs with Com Truise, Niki And The Dove at 8 p.m. at First Unitarian Church; tickets to the all-ages show are $14–$15. —Marielle Mondon