Fluorescence

The signs in Chris Zane's (Passion Pit, The Walkmen) studio couldn't have been any clearer: "Don't Overthink It." Or as Asobi Seksu guitarist James Hanna puts it, "This time, our agenda was to not have one at all; to be mellow about the entire process instead of obsessing over everything." Maybe mellow isn't the right word, unless he's comparing Fluorescence, the band's fourth proper full length, to a coiled-up cobra - a temperamental type that's often one false move away from striking. After all, "Coming Up" sets the scene by plowing into beehive-like synth lines and warp speed washes of dream-pop that leave you wondering just what the hell is going on. Things don't let up on "Trails" - catchy and chaotic to the core, the sky scraping song pays homage to the pitch-perfect songwriting of the '60s by chartering a yellow submarine to the moon. Throughout Fluorescence, Asobi Seksu further refine the bombastic but beautiful blend of hailstorm hooks and fog-shrouded 4AD-isms they've spent the last decade perfecting.