James & Evander: "What Else Is New?" (Prefix Premiere)

James & Evander are a duo from Oakland who have been working together on mellow, synthesizer-driven dance pop for five years, but are releasing their first full-length LP, Bummer Pop, tomorrow. Listen to the exclusive premiere of a fresh track, called "What Else is New?," below.

For all the foot-shuffling sparkle of these punchy beats, the dominant aesthetic of the album is spectral and ambient, exuberant but faded, like it just got back from a day at the beach and took in a little too much sun and salt water. For comparisons, think along the lines of a hushed Postal Service-style confessional synthpop, or a somber, stripped-down big brother to Passion Pit's pastel-hued melodic confections.

"What Else is New?" nicely summarizes the album's bubbly-textured electronic melodies and soft, drowsy vocals, but stands out for the patient power of its slow build, with melancholy lyrics that gradually waft in on a scintillating breeze of space-aged sounds before the drumbeat unexpectedly springs to life, more than a minute in.

"Can't Forget," another sweetly moving track off the forthcoming album, debuted last week. Stream it below.

Bummer Pop is out May 15th on Velvet Blue Music.