After a five-year break from their self-titled album MGMT, the duo enters 2018 with Little Dark Age, opting for a bit of a different, more experimental sound this time around.

Little Dark Age‘s psychedelic, dreamy soundscape may scare some listeners away, but fans of the sound will find themselves appreciating the intricacies littered throughout the project, from smooth synth lines to chilling vocals.

Kicking off the project is “She Works Out Too Much,” a synth-riddled, jazzy introductory track that sets the tone for the project to come. Following this, “Little Dark Age” stands to be one of the catchiest songs on the album, with a hook that listeners will find hard not to sing along to.

The production throughout the entire album remains clean and exciting while maintaining the same general aesthetic throughout. Tracks like “James” have a bit of a low-fidelity quality to them, creating a warmer and almost more comfortable sound. Little Dark Age is an album that has fun with itself, laying surprisingly dark lyricism alongside the happy, funky tracklist.

Little Dark Age isn’t a very situational project– it’s easy to listen to whenever, whether on a long road trip or while doing homework for the night. MGMT’s experimentation and risk-taking pays off, and the album simply grows on me more and more as I listen to it. It’s an album one can relax or run to, guaranteed to leave catchy hooks and bouncy synth lines in your head for days.