Ladytron

Before their seven-year hiatus, Ladytron made their mark as one of the pioneering electro-pop bands of the new millennium. From Lady Gaga’s provocative dance-pop to Charli XCX’s brash, sweet-yet-tart anthems, the Liverpool four-piece paved the way for today’s more daring pop acts with their steady, synth-driven songs. On their self-titled sixth LP, they deftly integrate themselves back into the landscape they helped design by tweaking new sounds—ABBA-inspired throbbing disco beats (“Tower of Glass”); eerie, horror-film modular synths (“The Island”)—into their propulsive krautrock grooves. Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo’s ominous vocal interplay still packs a dual punch on “Until the Fire,” an atmospheric rocker rife with dark political undertones.