Long-running electronica duo the Crystal Method became a solo act in 2017, when co-founder Ken Jordan decided to retire from music, leaving Scott Kirkland to carry the torch by himself. 2018's The Trip Home was regarded by fans as a return to form following a 2014 self-titled effort that attempted to play catch-up with the mainstream EDM trends of its time, dipping into brostep and complextro. 2022's The Trip Out, much like its similarly named predecessor, is closer to the high-gloss big beat sound the duo mastered during the genre's mid-'90s heyday, but with more up-to-date sound design, straddling the line between Y2K nostalgia and material tooled for the widespread return of outdoor music festivals following COVID-19 lockdown. TCM's stock-in-trade remains revved-up, rock-leaning electronic pop filled with guitars, cinematic undertones, and swagger. Opener "Watch Me Now" (featuring Koda and VAAAL) is bombastic glamtronica with a dramatic, orchestral breakdown, and "House Broken" (with vocalist Naz Tokio) is like a vocal trance song with electro beats, plus squiggly acid lines flashing back to TCM's career-making early singles. "Free Play," the only track on this short album that isn't listed with a feature credit, is a surprising turn towards synthwave, with a creeping, suspenseful pulse and pretty synth melodies. The beats do pick up slightly, and they're surrounded with swirling, ethereal vocals. The track ends somewhat suddenly, and it would've been welcome if this idea was expanded upon, but as it is, it functions more like an interlude. "Act Right" returns to booming midtempo bass, with double-time rapping by Boston-based emcee Billy Dean Thomas, whose pointed lyrics address colonialism and discrimination, providing the album's most socially conscious and relevant moment. Final track "Post Punk" (co-produced by past collaborator Hyper) has the biggest beats of them all, and is built around clips from an Iggy Pop interview in which he objects to being categorized. Certainly Kirkland feels the same way, but the Crystal Method will never escape its association with turn-of-the-century electronica, and it's unlikely that The Trip Out will be of much merit to anyone who isn't already a longtime fan.