In 2006 Silversun Pickups put out one of the songs that best captures that era: “Lazy Eye.” It’s got all the thrumming guitars, kickstarted drums, and existential longing turned to seething joy that made indie rock in the mid-aughts so fucking enjoyable and so powerfully relatable. If you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favor and listen to it like five times in a row. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat quietly before an important or uncertain event, mouthing this line to myself over and over: “I have been waiting, I have been waiting for this moment all my life / but it’s not quite right.” Eventually, you realize that it’s never going to be quite right, but it’s the waiting that makes the moment worth it. After you get out from under that existential pondering, get excited that this awesome L.A. quartet has a brand new album in the works.

For context, “Lazy Eye” is on their debut Carnavas which came out in 2006, and their sophomore album Swoon was released in 2009. The fuzzed-out Neck Of The Woods followed in 2012, and today, after three years, they’ve announced the follow-up. Their fourth album will be called Better Nature, and it’s coming out via New Machine Recordings. The Silverlake quartet worked with producer Jacknife Lee again, recording the album in his Topanga studio. The lead single is called “Nightlife” and will be out 8/6. Until then, I’ll be playing “Lazy Eye” on loop in anticipation. The tracklist and a new band photo are below.

Better Nature tracklist:
01 “Cradle (Better Nature)”
02 “Connection”
03 “Pins & Needles”
04 “Friendly Fires”
05 “Nightlight”
06 “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)”
07 “Tapedeck”
08 “Latchkey Kids”
09 “Ragamuffin”
10 “The Wild Kind”

Better Nature will be out 9/25 via New Machine Recordings. Pre-order it here.