California’s Boycomma were our Band To Watch a few months ago thanks to their awesome debut album Use Me (in memory of) from last year. The band is keeping up the momentum and energy with the new Stress Starving EP, released on Friday on Tormented Records.

Though only six tracks, Stress Starving still has ridiculous song titles, including “I LOVE E SEX” and “MEOWING IN PUBLIC.” But Brad Warriner’s introspection is more searing than ever, especially on the alt-rock catharsis “GRAPEFRUIT”: “Maybe I’m too sympathetic/ Maybe I’m just full of shit.” “MEOWING IN PUBLIC” snowballs into an unexpected metal breakdown, followed by the tender tearjerker “J ELLA”: “I was doing fine and then I started thinking/ I don’t know much but I have my reasons/ I was doing fine and then I started drinking/ About you,” Warriner opens the ballad singing. Stress Starving ends with “EAT ME ALIVE,” which Warriner previously explained:

There’s a Pinegrove lyric that really stuck with me where basically he’s saying he went to bed without talking to this person about something and then the next day he wakes and his silence went unfelt. Silence being unfelt… I don’t know, that was crazy to hear. Everyone’s had that — where you want to give someone an attitude but it doesn’t even fucking faze them.

That’s how I tried to interpret that in my song. The main line in it is “Are you even listening?” And not only is that crowd engagement — yes, which is cool for a band — but it’s a real thing that I’ve actually said to somebody. I’m fucking with their head, and I’m like, “Are you even listening to me? Look at me.” In that song, I say, “You’re acting like I don’t give you both of my goddamn ears for all of your problems, but you want more because I couldn’t solve them.” I just feel unheard. Feeling unheard in rejection is such a crazy, gut-wrenching — like oh my god, why am I even trying at all with anybody?

Stream Stress Starving below.