Peaer’s new album is preoccupied with cause-and-effect; it examines life’s brutal push-and-pull with exactitude and finesse. That’s apparent from its two lead singles, “Pink Spit” — “I’ve been asking questions about what’s important, so fucking sick of it” — and “Third Law,” which quite literally attempts to set Newton’s law of motion to music. But it’s a theme that runs throughout as Peter Katz (and the crew he’s rounded up to record his self-titled sophomore album) attempts to assess their standing within a world that feels increasingly apathetic towards change.

Katz’s voice is smooth but sardonic, and the band’s compositions have a tendency to jut out at irregular edges. That form helps lend weight to these songs about being pulled in different directions. On closer “For The Rest Of Your Life,” Katz starts to get excited about the possibilities of something new, but is deflated when he realizes that he’s seen all of this play out before: “All I know is that I will either get squashed or I will get lost.” On the previous track, “Sick,” he’s lamenting feeling down all the time, injured by the weight of his perceived failures: “Sick of feeling sticky, sick of feeling empty, sick of always lying to myself that I can love someone else, and my heart begins to swell with the emptiness itself.” It’s that last line that sticks with me most, and demonstrates Peaer’s adeptness at really sinking into heavy revelations with the twist of a knife. Listen to the full album via The A.V. Club below.

Peaer is out 9/30 via Tiny Engines. Pre-order it here.