If I were to hypothetically make a playlist of “music for driving in a convertible as the sun sets along the Pacific Ocean,” I would include Paycheque’s “Joy & Laughter.” The LA-based duo, composed of Jackson MacIntosh and Allison Goldfarb, started making music together after some pandemic-era synth jam sessions unearthed a strong musical chemistry. They cite Italo and “Warp”-era New Musik as touchstones for their project. But Paycheque doesn’t get sidetracked in the pursuit of pastiche. “Joy & Laughter” is decidedly atemporal, shifting gears between the past and the future. The song, accompanied by a vintage cyberpunk-feeling music video, serves up a heaping dose of cinematic synth-pop to propel us through uncertain times.