Neon Indian @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 11/16/2019
Alan Palomo is proudly putting his Mexican heritage on display with his first new song in more than four years, the funky-sounding "Toyota Man." It carries the musical DNA of 2015's VEGA INTL. Night School, but this time, Palomo is taking a stand against anti-immigrant sentiments that have come to a head in the United States. The chorus of the song, mostly sung in Spanish, goes: "We came to study / we want to work / and even though they try to deny it / we are all Americans." The song was one of two new tracks Palomo performed at 9:30 Club.
Neon Indian at 9:30 Club (Photo by Mauricio Castro)
We're no closer to news of a new album, but the performance was a celebration of both his one-of-a-kind indie-electronic sound (seen in "Deadbeat Summer" and "Polish Girl") that helped define the early 2010s (even Drake gave him a shout-out) and of his new sound that continues to evolve post-VEGA INT'L. The Spanish-language covers he threw in during the set, Righiera's "Vamos a la playa" and Luis Miguel's "Ahora te puedes marchar," show that he's leaning heavier into his cultural upbringing. In doing so, he's bringing a Latin sound to those that might not have much exposure to it otherwise. It's an exciting new chapter in Palmo's ever-changing musical story.
"Toyota Man" is out now through Mom + Pop Music.
Opening for Neon Indian was Brad Oberhofer, who puts out some electronic indie-pop earworms of his own in addition to performing on the keys with Neon Indian. As a last-minute addition to the lineup that night, Oberhofer plugged in his laptop and sang karaoke-style to all new songs that he's been working on since 2015's Chronovision and his 2017 cover album for the movie "Table 19," titled Oberhofer's Ultimate Wedding Mixtape. By calling it a karaoke-style performance, he was purposely setting the stakes low. Still, karaoke veterans know that performances are infinitely more entertaining and memorable when you jump and dance around with reckless abandon. And that's just Oberhofer did, in addition to donning the guitar for a few songs. Though the set only clocked in at roughly 20 minutes, he left his best impression on the crowd and left them in high spirits in preparation for Neon Indian.
