MGMT on 'Little Dark Age' and Soviet Synth-Pop

There are several beats to hit when talking about MGMT.

Invariably, you must mention Wesleyan, the liberal arts college (usually characterized with descriptors like "quirky" or "free-spirited") where Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser formed their psych-pop duo a decade and a half ago. Then you mention how kaleidoscopic indie staples like "Kids" and "Electric Feel" soundtracked hipster parties during the final days of the George W. Bush administration. You might slyly allude to liberal hallucinogenic drug use. And you politely express bewilderment at the band's increasingly proggy and experimental follow-up albums, 2010's Congratulations and 2013's MGMT.

"People are going to develop a narrative no matter what," VanWyngarden, the band's lead singer and guitarist, told Newsweek.

But MGMT's devilishly fun new album, , which was released February 9, is excellent without feeling like a retread. It's strange and freaky (check the morbid Ariel Pink collab "When You Die") without reveling in indulgence. It's rooted in the sociopolitical dread of the past two years but not overtly political. And, VanWyngarden insists, it was actually pretty fun to make despite the process dragging on for years (which allowed ample time for self-doubt and writer's block).