Matter

There are times during St. Lucia’s big, bright synth-pop debut that you might think that the ‘80s never ended. Channeling the old guard (Phil Collins, Van Halen, the Thompson Twins, and Flock of Seagulls) alongside young contemporaries (fun., M83 and Passion Pit), *Matter* is the kind of album that manages to tap into the past while remaining firmly in the present—from the sleek, Prince-like funk of “Home” to the breast-beating “Help Me Run Away,” co-written with fun.’s Jack Antonoff.

Check out our album review of Artist's Matter on Rolling Stone.com.

If trendiness is currency then Jean-Philip Grobler of New York's St. Lucia is filthy rich. With a wallet fattened by hot tips about what's e...

Photo: Shervin.