Ladytron willed themselves into existence some 25 years ago, writing their names in the residue of icy-hot heroes like Kraftwerk , Soft Cell , and Gina X. They were funny, and they were a little mean , often at the same time , and mean folks often thought they were a joke. With their analog synths and goth affect, they could have disappeared into the mists of novelty nostalgia. Instead, they insisted on brewing up ever-wilder stuff, seizing on the body-blow impact of industrial and shoegaze, the apocalyptic futurism of Detroit techno, the decadence of Italo disco—in a body of work far stronger and stranger than anyone expected. A quarter century in, Ladytron is a band who has Gary Numan opening , who Pet Shop Boys ’ Neil Tennant wants to emulate, who made the best songs on a not-bad Christina Aguilera record, and whose echoes can be heard in recent albums from HAAi , Zara Larsson , and even Addison Rae , who is reportedly knocking at their door for a collab.…