Merit, the 2003 debut from California duo Meanest Man Contest, remains an underrated collection of DJ Shadow-indebted instrumental hip-hop that contains a seductive darkness inside its psychedelic tapestries. A decade later, Noah Blumberg and Eric Steuer are back with Everything Worth Mentioning, out October 29th via Gold Robot, and those familiar with Merit might be thrown for a loop by the first single, "In the Dark", which is more tear-stained electro-pop than anything that approaches good ol' boom-bap-- but it still retains the DIY bedroom charm of their older material. "Do you ever think of me in the dark?", dolorous vocals ask as they're stretched across a woozy bed of synths; elsewhere, guitars shimmer like rays of mid-morning light, giving our first taste from Meanest Man Contest's return a bittersweet flavor.