Delorean: Subiza

In theory, Spain should be a pioneer in any worldwide sun-worshipping movement, but the American release of Delorean’s raved-about, blissed-out opus is part of a second wave in the sea-foamy club-pop revival of the past few years. This Barcelona quartet doesn’t do a lot to expand the parameters of Balearic Beat 2.0—it’s already expansive enough, with room for ecstasy-illuminated piano chords, squiggly trance melodies, and kaleidoscopic ’60s vocal harmonies—but the group delivers it consistently, cleanly, and packed with cartoon-like vibrancy that recalls nothing so much as the Tough Alliance’s slightly stickier 2007 sincerity manifesto New Chance. Track titles like “Endless Sunset” and “Infinite Desert” communicate how Delorean aims for a sound that could roll out forever. And the music, which has a kind of insistent but laid-back quality—check the gypsy-caravan clatter that propels “It’s All Ours” across continents—seems ready to safari anywhere. But a few listens makes it clear that the band is acutely aware of limits. “Don’t you tell me that we’re free to do whatever we want,” the lyrics admonish on “Grow,” the album’s most straightforward pop song. And so it’s fitting that Delorean, for all the buzz, colors between the wide lines drawn before it, though with gorgeous colors.