There was a short period in Motown’s storied history where they let psychedelic off-his-rocker producer Norman Whitfield take the wheel, producing hits for the Temptations at a time when America was still tripping from the ’60s, but welcoming the funk soon to conquer the 70s. Whitfield perfectly tightwalked this delicate balance between psychedelia and soul, and The Stepkids have taken his groundwork and put it to good use for a generation that never got to take a ride aboard Parliament-Funk’s spaceship. Not unlike what MGMT did for Brooklyn (or if you like, Of Montreal for Athens), this Connecticut/Brooklyn based trio is tightly pairing together the ghosts of Sly Stone and The Bee Gees together with Free Design and The Fifth Dimension. Not a small task… But considering these guys cut their teeth touring with Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill and even 50 Cent, they’re more than ready to step to the front of the stage. After having the good sense to sign with the legendary Stones Throw Records earlier this year, the band’s already produced a handful of solid 7-inches, covering the gamut from the smooth soul of ‘Legend in My Own Mind,’ to the roller rink-ready ‘Shadows on Behalf.’ Their full-length – out on September 27 – gathers these singles (all in the first half of the record together with the super-fun "Brain Ninja" – video streaming below), adding more delicious numbers full of truly good vibes, including one our favorite tracks – "Suburban Dream," which you can preview in this live video, where it’s performed with scary instrumental and vocal precision. – Mike Levine