When I heard that Danger Mouse and James Mercer of the Shins started a band, I had to hear it to believe it. I have long been a huge fan of both, and the prospect of a collaboration set my mind racing with what it might sound like. My curiosity was sated release of of lead single The High Road, with its drunken keyboard intro and gospel-choired refrain, with Mercer’s trademark wordsmithing and melody making, and Danger Mouse’s signature sonic exploration.

My expectations were exceeded.

And the album as a whole did nothing to disappoint either. The space-pop introduced by High Road did nothing but flourish when allowed to fill an entire LP, with both performers offering their best output, mingling to create an album that rivals both of their main projects (which, considering the projects, is a no easy task). The album is riddled with robotic drums, sinister bass lines, paranoid synthesizers, the and the poppiest melodies this side of O! Inverted World, filling in the space-age reverb textures, with plenty of help from background singers and orchestras-for-hire. And above all, there’s a cosmic coolness about the record that doesn’t falter under the wait of its own self-awareness. Simply put, it’s a reminder that sometimes, supergroups really are worth the hype they evoke.