The most recent release from electro-pop duo Phantogram—October's single “In a Spiral,” which will be on their forthcoming album—kicks off with a riff that sounds like it’d be at home somewhere in an Ennio Morricone score (or, maybe more accurately, like it’d be snipped out of an Ennio Morricone score and needle-dropped into a Quentin Tarantino movie). But then Josh Carter's beat drops in, and the handclaps pile on top of the synths, and Sarah Barthel’s vocals drive ahead, sometimes clear, sometimes echoing. It’s a remarkably constructed track, and rolls ahead with such energy that, even at over three minutes long, feels way too short. “In a Spiral” and a few other singles are the only work that’s come from Phantogram since their 2016 album Three, but the tracks hint toward something very good coming down the line—excellent news for everyone who’s been nodding along ever since their pretty much universally beloved debut, 2010’s Eyelid Movies. Like that album, and like 2014’s Voices, “In a Spiral” highlights what makes Phantogram stand out from the rest of the synth-riffing hordes: An ability to bring imaginative structures and a welcoming, intimate warmth to a genre that all too often feels chilly and self-satisfied. by Erik Henriksen