| World of Hassle | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Alan Palomo |
| Cover: | APalomo WHassle.jpg |
| Alt: | The cover of a fictional magazine named after the album with a stylized drawing of the artist in the middle. |
| Released: | September 15, 2023 |
| Genre: | Experimental pop, jazz-funk |
| Length: | 48:26 |
| Label: | Mom + Pop |
| Producer: | Alan Palomo |
| Prev Title: | Vega Intl. Night School |
| Prev Year: | 2015 |
World of Hassle is a solo album by Alan Palomo, better known for his work under the alias Neon Indian. The album, Palomo's first release under his birth name, was released on September 15, 2023, by Mom + Pop Music.
Robert Beatty acted as the album's art director. The album includes contributions from Palomo's brother Jorge Manuel, Flore Benguigui, and Mac DeMarco. Palomo sang in English, Spanish, and French on the album. It was preceded by four singles.
The album was inspired by 1980s-era Leonard Cohen and various rock frontmen of the time who had left their bands for solo careers. The music consists of experimental pop and jazz-funk, and was inspired primarily by city pop and the music of Bobby Caldwell. It was received positively by critics.
Palomo started releasing music as Neon Indian in 2009 at age 21, his third musical alias after launching the projects Ghosthustler and Vega.[1] On July 27, 2023, a few days after his 35th birthday, Palomo explained his reasoning for releasing World of Hassle under his real name, saying he was inspired by I'm Your Man-era Leonard Cohen and multiple 1980s rock frontmen who had left their bands and reinvented themselves as solo acts. He called the idea "impish" and "refreshing", and said that despite the loss of name recognition, he couldn't resist the idea and figured that "50 year old me might thank me for it in the long run". He also emphasized that the Neon Indian name wasn't being "officially retired".[2]
In an interview for Tone Glow, Palomo elaborated on Cohen's influence, saying:
The album is Palomo's first work of his own under his birth name, though he previously used the name when featuring on the Miami Horror song "Holidays" from their 2010 album Illumination.[3] The album name came from a quote from the Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice.[4] [5]
Prior to the album's announcement, Palomo released its lead single, "Nudista Mundial '89", on May 1. The song features indie rock singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco, who was brought on board because he had a Yamaha CP-70 which Palomo wanted for the song. The single came with a music video inspired by the video game series Leisure Suit Larry.[6]
The album was announced on June 6, set for release on September 15, 2023, by Mom + Pop Music. Along with the announcement came its second single, "Stay-at-Home DJ", which Palomo cowrote with his brother in 2019 and previously performed on tour as Neon Indian. The single came with a music video directed by Robert Beatty, who is also the album's art director.[7] The third single, "Meutrière" featuring L'Impératrice singer Flore Benguigui, was released on July 11, 2023.[8] "Club People" and "La Madrileña" were released together on August 8.[9]
The album has been called experimental pop and jazz-funk.[10] It is also said to include disco, R&B, yacht rock, city pop, synthwave, reggae, Italo disco,[11] and funk. The album is built on a core instrumental lineup of guitar, bass, synthesizer, and saxophone. Lyrics on the album are written in English, Spanish, and French; the Spanish lyrics were inspired by contemporary Mexican novelists including Fernanda Melchor and Yuri Herrera.[12]
Palomo's inspiration for the record came from listening to Bobby Caldwell and city pop records, namely Awakening by Hiroshi Sato, and decided he wanted to incorporate their fusion of Steely Dan-esque jazz fusion with disco.[13] He also described the sound he was striving for as "Thomas Dolby-type Fairlight PPG-style production" recreated with a Yamaha TG33.[14] During the making of the album, Palomo mainly read the Thomas McGuane novels Panama and 92 in the Shade and the Jay McInerney novels Bright Lights, Big City and Brightness Falls, and also watched the film adaptation of Bright Lights, Big City starring Michael J. Fox.
Glide Magazines Ryan Dillon called the album "an endlessly fun LP that takes you on a cosmic journey through Palomo's limitless artistry."[15] Pastes Sam Rosenberg wrote that the album "does, sometimes, feel a touch pastiche-y", but "Palomo's sun-soaked, salt-rimmed, neon-tinged world has such an immersive, hypnotic pull that its more derivative tendencies don't really matter." Everything Is Noises David Rodriguez called the album "without a single doubt one of the best I'll hear this year."[16]
Joshua Minsoo Kim of Pitchfork called the tracks "the funniest and most musically accomplished songs of his career", as well as Palomo's "most fun record because it's his most accomplished". Clashs Nick Roseblade called the album "pretty fun" with "some killer melodies", but was disappointed by the lack of diversity between songs which are "of a similar tempo, tone, and theme." Under the Radars Andy Steiner called the album "leisurely and confident" and "as easy as a beach day."
Paste ranked the album as one of the 30 best pop albums of 2023.[17]