The growing popularity of Austrian act Mind.In.A.Box has been one of the greatest success stories in electronic music over the past few years and for good reason. Longtime collaborators Stefan Poiss and Markus Hadwiger parlayed a career in programming video games into a musical juggernaut that is both unique and intimately familiar, combining fantastical noir fiction into highly conceptualized albums featuring an inspiring technopop sound. Hopefully you didn’t miss our review of their last album, 2007′s Crossroads

MIAB’s latest effort is due out at the end of February (early March in the States) and it offers something a little different. Sampling the chip music of old C64 video games and throwing in a few covers such as Last Ninja 3 and Giana Sisters that geeks the world over will no doubt relish, R.E.T.R.O. promises to match kitsch with a hefty portion of cleverness. It eschews the dark and alluring feel of their first three albums for something more playful and fun. But don’t let that turn you away as it still has that Mind.In.A.Box atmosphere that we’ve come to enjoy over the past eight years. Just check out the samples they’ve posted on their website.

Even if you decide to pass on this latest project the act are planning on putting out a proper album later this year that will mark a return to the continuing storyline of the first three releases. MIAB are on the freshly resurrected Dependent Records in Europe and Metropolis Records in the US.