Last month, Tim Showalter announced a new Strand Of Oaks album called In Heaven. At the time, he also shared lead single “Galacticana” — a stunner that topped our list of favorite songs that week. Today, he’s back with another.

Showalter’s latest is called “Jimi & Stan.” When it was announced, it was clear In Heaven had a lot of death and grief on it, and “Jimi & Stan” is one of the songs where that rears its head. “My sweetest buddy/cat Stan sadly passed away,” Showalter explained in a statement. “And the only way I could describe my love for him was imagining Stan and Jimi Hendrix hanging out in heaven together smiling and going to shows and having the best time.”

At first, you could almost imagine something playful in that — a funny image of your beloved cat chilling with Jimi Hendrix up in the clouds. But this song gets emotional, with Showalter pulling off a bit of a magic trick with musically. It starts off as the sort of mid-tempo, open-throated rocker we’re used to with Strand Of Oaks. But as it goes on, “Jimi & Stan” gets heavier — references to being born with conditions and generational anxiety — at the same time that the song subtly keeps building and building. All the sudden, a couple minutes in, the energy of the chorus has been ratcheted up more than a couple notches. It sounds like fireworks, and it might just make you a little emotional about Showalter’s old pal Stan too. Check it out below.

In Heaven is out 10/1.