After the quiet, contemplative Clear Moon dropped in May, I almost immediately started yearning for the more aggressive side of Mount Eerie that albums like 2008’s Wind’s Poem had displayed. Thankfully, the new Mount Eerie album Ocean Roar delivers just that. The title track is the first song to officially drop from Mount Eerie’s second album this year, and although it’s not as raw or abrasive as some of the album’s gruffest material, it hints at a less smoothed out side of Phil Elverum than Clear Moon ever approached. The brief song features a head-tripping mix of cymbals, guitars, and gorgeous harmonized vocals from Elverum and a group of female singers. Like many of the best Mount Eerie/Microphones songs, “Ocean Roar” has a lot more to offer listeners than its first play through might suggest.

Ocean Roar will be officially released on September 4th on Elverum’s own label.