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Sorry to break away from my typical topics, but the newest incarnation of the ’80s progressive-rock supergroup Asia released “The Traveller (Into the Light),” the first single from the band’s long-awaited Indigo album, back on July 6, . On August 12, Frontiers Records released a video for the album’s second single, “Echo of You.” As I was with the first release, I’m here with some thoughts.

If you don’t recognize the name Asia, you’ve probably heard hits like “Only Time Will Tell,” “Sole Survivor,” “Don’t Cry,” or the band’s biggest smash, “Heat of the Moment.” Formed in 1981 by veterans of prog-rock bands Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, along with new-wave band The Buggles, Asia blended progressive-rock virtuosity with irresistible arena-pop hooks. The band’s music was glorious, pompous, and cheesy. It’s my guilty pleasure.

Asia dropped off a cliff after its first three albums and spent the following decades cycling through a revolving door of lineups centered around keyboardist Geoff Downes- the aforementioned Buggle- and singer/bassist John Payne. The rest of the original lineup -John Wetton, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer- reunited with Downes in 2006 for a string of albums before Wetton’s death in 2017. Now, for Asia Mark XXVI or so, Downes is joined by longtime collaborator John Mitchell on guitar, Australian drummer Virgil Donati, and newcomer Harry Whitley. The band’s first single, “The Traveller (Into the Light),” doesn’t quite reach the heights of Asia’s first three albums, but it’s a vital, urgent, energetic return that I enjoyed a lot.

“Echo of You” is set to close Indigo, and it starts with a long, ethereal intro built around sparse piano, background synthesizers, electronic side sticks, and what sound like pitch-modded ’80s LinnDrum tom samples that hit with the hollow thwack of a racquetball. It’s more modern than the Asia I know best, although there are shades of “Orchard of Mines” from Phoenix or “Aqua Part 2” from the band’s Payne-era catalog.

Whitley enters with a descending vocal line that drops nearly to the bottom of his range during a restrained first verse. Then the song pivots into a wistful pre-chorus and a downright upbeat chorus, complete with jangly guitar that reminds me of “An Extraordinary Life” from Phoenix. “Echo” really comes alive during the second chorus, when Donati’s drums finally join the rest of the ensemble at full strength. From there, the song keeps building. A few more choruses bring a key change, a Mitchell solo reminiscent of some of Howe’s later work, galloping drum fills from Donati, and, finally, an old-school fadeout. None of it is especially bombastic by Asia standards, but enough is happening around the edges of the arrangement to reward repeated listens.

Its sparse, melancholy intro aside, “Echo of You” winds up being an upbeat tune with an up-front mix, unexpected electronic flourishes, and engaging instrumentation and vocals that swirl around galactically. I like “Echo” as a song, though maybe not quite as an Asia song. That’s okay! If I want the classics, I can put on Asia, Alpha, Astra, or even Phoenix. If I want to hear this lineup tackle the old material -and they do a damn fine job of it aside from Donati’s disdain for the cowbell- I can turn to Asia – Live in England or its forthcoming siblings devoted to Alpha and Astra.

Whatever my preferences, this newest incarnation of Asia has already given us a ridiculous assortment of riches. “The Traveller” and “Echo of You” may not be essential to the band’s catalog, but Downes and company don’t have to be making new music at all. They could ride the festival and theater circuit indefinitely on “Heat of the Moment” alone! Keeping the old songs alive is one thing, but it’s far more interesting that this lineup is actually creating. If Indigo tried too hard to reproduce the eighties chart-toppers, it’d probably sound like nothing more than a competent tribute act that happened to inherit Roger Dean’s iconic logotype.

Besides, there’s no way to reanimate the old band. Wetton is gone. Howe and Palmer have moved on. John Payne is still out there at a county fair playing hits he had no hand in writing. Rather than impersonate what came before, Downes and company seem to be using it as a starting point. “Echo of You” wanders from that reference, and that’s a good thing. Two singles in, I still don’t know exactly what Indigo will sound like as a whole. I’m increasingly glad I don’t. Aside from keeping the smashes alive, the best tribute Downes, Whitley, Mitchell, and Donati can pay to what the original Asia created nearly forty-five years ago isn’t to recreate it note for note; it’s to keep Asia moving forward. With “Echo of You,” that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Cover art and some photos are copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Images of these covers are used solely to identify the album in the context of critical commentary. This should constitute a “fair use” referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.