Alan Palomo Drops Neon Indian For 13 Catchy AF Synth-Drenched Anthems On ‘World Of Hassle’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

You may recognize Alan Palomo from his groundbreaking chillwave outfit Neon Indian, but we are entering an entirely new era of Palomo’s creativity. His past project has been essentially dormant since their groundbreaking 2015 LP, VEGA INTL. Night, and now we have the answer to the looming question “What ever happened to Neon Indian?”. The answer is World of Hassle, Alan Palomo’s debut album under his own name. Taking years in between releases allowed Palomo’s loftiest ideas to find their full potential as the artist crafted an ambitious reintroduction to himself. For 13 synth-drenched summertime anthems, Palomo displays his unparalleled falsetto over bouncy instrumentals that find solace in explosive moments of pop bliss. World of Hassle is the first time Palomo is stepping out under his government and he wanted to make sure we never forget the name again. 

World of Hassle never takes itself too seriously and that is where the initial charm of the album blossoms. That charm instantly ignites like a log with too much gasoline on it and is fanned by colorful arrangements and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The magic of Palomo’s latest outing is directly on the surface of these tracks, creating a relaxing listening experience lined with a rollercoaster of emotions set to unpredictable orchestrations. In a flurry of soaring horn sections and up-tempo pop structures, Palomo provides a career-defining set of songs. The weight of the world and a plethora of eager eyes are on Palomo and his namesake debut as the artist seemingly ignored any outside distractions, leaving him with nothing but himself and his vibrant world of shapeshifting musicianship. 

World of Hassle finds its cohesive nature not through similar sonic worlds, but at the core of Palomo’s creativity. A bulk of the album has Palomo traversing happy-go-lucky instrumentals that are tinted with neon-drenched synths and jumpy drum patterns. You can hear the ambition and passion the artist put into these songs as each note is bursting with personality and the stench of uniqueness. Palomo switches between languages in a flurry of songwriting prowess, writing power ballads like “La Madrileña”, which features an unforgettable guitar solo, and tracks that lean on nostalgic chaos like the album’s opener “The Wailing Mail”. No two songs are the same on World of Hassle, allowing Palomo to showcase his wide range of talents all while keeping even the most frantic moments controlled and honed. 

The way Palomo approaches music is one-of-a-kind. You can hear his limitless creativity in grandiose moments like the subtly powerful “Nobody’s Women” and the smooth grooves of “The Island Years”. Each song gives you a reason to revisit World of Hassle as the artist made experimental pop music sound effortless. His lyrics are lined with a sense of humor that takes the pressure off of the kaleidoscope-style arrangements, creating a sonic conflict that resolves itself through the undeniably impressive music of Palomo’s most ambitious release to date. 

Alan Palomo crafted a statement piece of a proper debut album. World of Hassle is an endlessly fun LP that takes you on a cosmic journey through Palomo’s limitless artistry. In just under an hour the artist built a world of carefree fun with a soundtrack that features technicolor instrumentals and high-flying vocals. Palomo lives in a world of his own and his latest release attempts to put that world to a melody. In a firework-style explosion of dense synths that give way to head-spinning guitar work and horn sections, Palomo excitedly reintroduces himself as a true force in pop music by sticking to his own otherworldly vision of what the genre can become.