For most of its existence, Brooklyn collective Bomb The Music Industry! existed outside the periphery of the traditional indie rock scene, and that’s a damn shame. Or maybe it’s a blessing in disguise because, for their decade-plus run, they built up an army of diehard fans and embodied their position as the unpredictable, scrappy underdogs. Since their dissolution last year, leader Jeff Rosenstock has been incredibly busy with a bunch of different projects, including the recording of We Cool?, his masterful sophomore solo effort. It’s an album built out of intimate experiences, using Rosenstock’s day-to-day life of going to house shows and touring and drinking beers alone to shine a light on the things that motivate us and set us back. We Cool? occupies a ton of different territories over its 40-minute runtime, from the delicate (see “All Blissed Out” or closing track “Darkness Records” ) to the rousingly anthemic (“You, In Weird Cities,” “Get Old Forever”). Joyous, self-deprecating, beaming, remorseful — it’s an exemplary punk record, one that will hopefully take Rosenstock out of the underdog box, if the music industry can figure out what to do with him. Stream it below.

(via Spin)

We Cool? is out 3/3 via Side One Dummy.