The Neon

In 2017, dance-pop mavens Erasure offered up the politically mindful World Be Gone, a set of reflective, mostly midtempo pop anthems that landed them in the Top Ten in the U.K. for the first time since the 90s. After rearranging it for a chamber ensemble (World Beyond) and issuing a related live album (World Be Live), they bring their music back to prime time at the club with The Neon. Focusing on the here and now and topics like infatuation, self-preservation, and, yes, dancing, it opens with the pulsing Hey Now (Think Ive Got a Feeling), a song that announces its arrival at the discotheque with the lines I hear a beat bop through my brain/I feel the pill pop through my heart. The tracks steady four on the floor, murky synth bass, and laser-like synths get the party started alongside urgent vocals by Andy Bell that rally for a night out on the town. Most of the rest of the set list is like-minded, with insistent beats and memorable vocal hooks, with some of the most dynamic melodies coming with the effervescent Diamond Lies and Fallen Angel (the latter is concerned with chasing physical and emotional highs). The Neons few ballads are loaded into the second half and non-sequential, including closer Kid Youre Not Alone, a bass-heavy entry that turns down the lights but keeps bodies on the dancefloor in the tradition of Berlins Take My Breath Away or Erasures own Always. Taken together, The Neon is stacked with what Erasure does best: Sharp melodic hooks, efficient, hip-shaking beats, and yearning lyrics that both relate and motivate. ~ Marcy Donelson