Catalonian punk wunderkinds Mourn caused a pretty good stir with the release of the self-titled debut a couple years ago, which earned Album Of The Week honors from us. The young ‘uns play with a distorted freneticism and urgency that only teens could spawn and sustain, but have the lyrical curtness of someone who is too far jaded from decades of cynicism. Well, they’re back with a new album, and the title, Ha, Ha, He seems to be an indication of more blunt, sarcastic awesomeness to come. The album almost didn’t see the light of day due to some industry fuckery, but the rollout officially began with recent single “Evil Dead,” and it continues today with “Storyteller.”

The song signals significant growth from their first album without abandoning what initially earned the band the rightly deserved buzz. It’s groovy, slightly funk-tinged, midtempo, and dabbles in pop leanings, but plenty of energy and chaos manifests in the raspy, wailing mix of Spanish and English on the chorus. Frontwoman Jazz Rodríguez Bueno’s lyrics are cutting as ever as she melodically unfurls a narrative of, well, narratives. She sings of the subtle manipulation that can occur through the embellishment and playfulness of storytelling, holding people’s senses captive for a moment in time. I’m looking forward to this album brightening my summer if “Storytelling” is indicative of its quality. Listen.

Ha, Ha, He is out 6/3 on Captured Tracks. Pre-order is available in physical and digital formats.