Panal S.A. de C.V.

The debut EP from Panal S.A. de C.V. is an all-instrumental affair that blends electronic pop with experimental rock. Recalling the expansive progressions and sunlit melodies of Melrose-era Tangerine Dream from the first track, Cortometraje also contains undercurrents of post-Brotherhood New Order in the keyboard arrangements on tracks like “Linda Colegiala,” lending the song the feel of dreamy nostalgia. The best guitar work of the bunch can be heard on “Altepetl,” in which crystalline riffs abide before fully engaging with the rhythm in distorted atmospheric twists. “Vox Populi” conjures early Live minus the angst before taking off into the stratosphere, with one guitar providing gritty textures and the other fluttering with shining notes. Never dull or repetitive, Cortometraje succeeds in not following established musical trends.