Not to be confused with Megafaun, Austin trio Megafauna have sounded like two or three different bands since forming in 2008, and each iteration has been pretty damn good. They came on the scene with a mix of vintage metal and melodic post-psychedelia that melded seamlessly on Larger Than Human in 2010. They then moved to more prog rock leanings with ornate guitar work on Maximalist. But for their upcoming third LP, Welcome Home, they’ve revisited proto-metal in a major way, supporting it with cutting melodies and cosmic trips.

The album’s opener, “Desire,” is like a slowly built Jenga tower in which one piece gets pulled and an all-out rhythmic assault ensues. Dani Neff’s vocals soothe early with light guitar chords and sweeps to which lull into an uneasy calm before, wildly roaming, but infectious guitar layers come in to offset with controlled mayhem. Neff tries to capture a rare moment of self reflection in the madness that simply living day-to-day can be. And that is paralleled by her soft vocal wrestling with the harshness of the interlocking guitar patterns. Neff had this to say about “Desire”:

The song came from a place of deep self exploration, an attempt to get to a version of my self located beneath the surface of reality. I couldn’t sleep and every time I closed my eyes I saw a seemingly infinite string of disturbing faces, each expanding out from the last. I sat down at my guitar and the song just flowed out of me. Songs often take me weeks or months to write but this one just flowed out in one piece with all of its off the wall time shifts and key changes. It felt like channeling a gift from another dimension.

Listen.

Artwork:

Tracklist:

01 “Desire”
02 “Doubt”
03 “Panpsychist”
04 “It’s So Simple”
05 “Interlude”
06 “Gaia”
07 “Hogs Out”
08 “Keep Learning The Same Thing”
09 “Don’t Ask Questions”
10 “Welcome Home”

Tour Dates:

04/29 San Angelo, TX­ @ Deadhorse Saloon
04/30 El Paso, TX @­ Mesa Music hall
05/01 Tucson, AZ @­ Flycatcher (Romo Tonight)
05/02 Phoenix, AZ @ Chopper Johns
05/04­ San Diego, CA @ The Merrow
05/05­ Long Beach, CA­ @ The Prospector
05/06 Los Angeles, CA­ @ The Mint
05/07 San Jose, CA­ @ Back Bar
05/08 Sacramento, CA @ Starlight Lounge
05/10 Oakland, CA @ New Parish
05/12 Portland, OR @­ Hawthorne Lounge
05/13 Seattle, WA @ ­ The Crocodile
05/17 Missoula, MT @ Stage 112
05/19 Denver, Co @­ Lost Lake Lounge
05/20 Albuquerque, NM­ @ Sister bar
05/21 Norman, OK­ @ Redbrick Bar

Welcome Home is out 5/27.