MGMT’s recently released single “Alien Days” is poorly recorded, much like the hit from their last album Brian Eno, and extremely difficult to follow for at least the first two listens. Yet, strangely, none of this is to designate a poorly written or constructed song.

The song is brilliantly and meticulously constructed, in fact, which is probably why it comes with a learning curve. The song offers no respite to fans of old singles like “Time to Pretend” and embraces the twisting and unpredictable chord progressions of songs like “Siberian Breaks,” drawing a stark line in the sand to separate the two camps.

“Alien Days” deserves plenty of credit for its bold and technical melody, but the odd choices in synth sounds and somewhat underwhelming climax present mediocre — though exemplary — MGMT track.