Neon Indian
Mexican-born Alan Palomo was reportedly playing entry-level electropop under names like Ghosthustler and Vega before he became the unlikely pioneer of chillwave, a genre he practically invented (or at least refined and defined) with his 2009 debut as Neon Indian. All the usual tastemakers (Pitchfork, Spin, etc.) proclaimed the Psychic Chasms album the next big fry in lo-fi, propelling it to number 11 on Billboard’s U.S. Dance chart, with their sophomore release Era Extrana reaching number 4.
Neon Indian’s big mainstream arrival was probably when they landed two songs on the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack, “Change of Coast” and “Polish Girl.” They released three albums and two EPs through 2015, but the band’s only recent activity seems to have been a 2016 video for “Annie,” directed by Palomo, who also cameos in a new film set in Austin’s music scene, Song to Song, guesting alongside fellow moonlighters Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, John Lydon, and others. With nothing new announced for this year, it’s unclear what Neon Indian has planned for the Belly Up on August 14. Even his backing band has been too fluid to predict, changing with each tour, though it seems a safe bet that Palomo’s brother Jorge will again man the bass.