VEGA INTL. Night School

Neon Indian - VEGA INTL. Night School
Critic Score
Based on 23 reviews
2015 Ratings: #284 / 1021
User Score
Based on 598 ratings
2015 Rank: #88
Liked by 55 people
October 16, 2015 / Release Date
LP / Format
Mom+Pop / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
A.V. Club

Neither chill nor wave, VEGA INTL. Night School is a vibrant, glitchy, hook-laden celebration of nightlife.

91
Pretty Much Amazing

Night School doesn’t go down like a third album. It goes down like a reimagined debut, because it introduces a newly carefree, naturally focused Neon Indian. And as third albums go, that’s just about the best mentality you can employ.

90
Drowned in Sound

With its unfurled imaginativeness, Vega INTL. Night School is unimaginatively the album you would expect from Neon Indian by now - one that comfortably and sublimely manages to work inside and outside of the expectations set by their previous work.

90
AllMusic

In its own way, Vega Intl. Night School is just as immersive as Neon Indian's previous work and even more impressionistic, with a flamboyance that makes it a captivating standout within his own work as well as his contemporaries'.

86
Pitchfork

The production values are higher, and there’s even more of Palomo's queasy pitch-shifting, 16-bit synths, and disembodied samples—more of everything. Palomo might have seemed like someone stumbling onto a recipe with Psychic Chasms, but now it's clear that this is Palomo’s foundational music, his blues or funk.

85
The Line of Best Fit

As with every Neon Indian album, VEGA INTL Night School can feel chaotic, effusive, even overwhelming at times. But, much like the proverbial “bright lights” of the city which provide the inspiration for this LP, it's dazzling, too.

85
The 405

Not one sound is out of place, not one track over or under stays its welcome. Every element that made Neon Indian such a joy through the first two albums has been polished and improved upon to make a record that truly must be heard.

80
Q Magazine
Amid the shiny licks, the hallmarks of his previous work remain.
80
Under the Radar

VEGA INTL. Night School is, for the most part, a more accessible and fascinating record than any of Paloma's output to date. Turns out a little more funk may not necessarily be a bad thing.

75
Consequence of Sound

Palomo has managed to group everything that catches his eye under one disco ball-laden roof, but Night School rarely feels overstuffed. It stays playful and casual, and its stakes often feel low as a result.

75
Spectrum Culture

Virtually everything on VEGA INTL. sounds more enhanced.

70
SPIN
Palomo may be going back to school but there’s nothing disciplined about this record, whose slinky synths and wonky bass lines make for the perfect playlist of a DJ who hasn’t updated his library since 1985.
70
Rolling Stone
On this LP, Palomo peels back the layers of psychedelia that have sometimes obscured his work in the past, striving for a directness that results in the most crystallized – and accessible – version of his aesthetic yet.
70
The Needle Drop
Neon Indian returns with a woozy, dreamy synth funk album.
70
musicOMH

Those seeking the mellower vibes of his earlier work may be slightly less enamoured with VEGA INTL. Night School, it’s undeniably a record that’s confident, intelligent and above all, fun.

60
DIY
There’s still plenty to recommend here, but you can’t help but feel that Neon Indian have a top-drawer electro pop record in them, if only they can trim the fat accordingly.
60
Uncut

The results are alluring warped ... but this groovy nostalgia is now a well-trodden path.

60
God Is in the TV
Signing up to the classes, will reward students with experienced observations from the 27-year-old’s journey.
60
Tiny Mix Tapes
It’s a perfectly respectable, fun dance record, but I just wish its grooves came more naturally.
RakkSmells
90

[Genre: Chillwave]

Bro, like I'm so aesthetic bro, I like vaporwave and 80's music, people don't get me cause I'm just that quirky and aesthetic bro

This album is really damn good. VEGA INTL. Night School is an extremely fun and solid synthpop/chillwave album that never fails to be fun throughout. The production is straight up funky and incredible, and the vocals are really smooth and add a lot to the 80's type sound this album shoots for. Weirdly enough, with the 80's type sound it still ... read more

surlace
70

The production here is stellar, packed with funky, quirky, and elegant beats. His voice is only ok, but it compliments the vibe of this album nicely.

86

If you dig the aesthetic of this album (the cover tells it all) its a solid record with no major flaws. The 80s latin disco grooves on here fit perfectly with Neon Indian's production styles on previous records. The album flows nicely and is built around the two fantastic singles. A little lull towards the end before the great closing track News From the Sun, but even tracks like Techno Clique, Baby's Eyes and 61 Cygni Ave have their moments. Street Level is my least favorite from the strong ... read more

Pompilius
90

Catchy, funky, groovy, retro, futuristic. Amazing wonky synths. Neon Indian does a fantastic job at transporting me to a night out.

frsr
91

The production on this album is stellar. Such a unique sound in the synth pop genre.

100

Genuinely one of the best albums I've ever listened to.

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Added on: August 14, 2015