With psychedelic dance rock grooves and a penchant for neon-studded rhythm, Cut Copy pumped the crowd with spasms of haunting sounds and mesmerizing disco beats in honor of the release of their third album, Zonoscope, at San Francisco Bath House on Wednesday.
Though still synth-pop-y and euphorically edgy, Zonoscope reveals a combo of 80s synth, rolling vocals and drum machines that ups the ante for anyone hoping to compete with the Melbourne-based group’s understated Atari space joy ride. Beginning with bouncy hooks with a destination of their own in “Need You Now”, the album dons an indie summer feel with the 80s rock drum core in “Where I’m Going” and “Take Me Over”. After a passage of sharper neon pinpricks on the back half of the album like “Pharaohs and Pyramids”, Zonoscope bows out (dancing jerkily all the way) with 15-minute long trance lull “Sun God”, reminiscent of roadtripping around the Milky Way in a hatchback.
While some might say Zonoscope is much of the same, it’s that otherworldly drift and pop that you can’t get enough of from this masterful, playground-chic group. With hits like “Lights and Music” and “Hearts on Fire” that captured your Plano glasses-wearing heart back in sophomore year, Cut Copy didn’t need to blow your socks off with another loftily digital compilation to convince you to take a gamble on another album. But they did, and I’m sure they’ll be waiting until you stop your space-age shoulder jiggling to do it again.