Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future is definitely new sonic terrain for the Los Angeles-based duo. Every bit as beguiling as their debut, the album retains its predecessor’s lithe melodies and Brazilian influences, but takes its stylish ’60s pop deeper into the psychedelic period of the Tropicalia era, especially on the trippy “What’s In the Middle” and the dreamy “Meteor.” “Reference points for me are mid-‘70s records by [samba-rock pioneer] Jorge Ben, like África Brasil, or early ’70s Caetano Veloso,” Kurstin says. “The new album has less of a bossa nova feel because the rhythms are more dance-friendly than they were on the first record.” Kurstin, an in-demand songwriter and producer who has worked with Lily Allen and Kylie Minogue, adds that he was in a beat-making headspace when it came time to write songs for the bird and the bee. “I thought it would be fun to go further with that element in our music.”