Claude says:The Long Beach indie rock outfit that broke through with Robbers & Cowards had already released six albums by the time this self-titled effort arrived in 2018, a mid-career reset built on taut guitar lines and Nathan Willett's urgent vocals. You picked it up five years after release in late 2023 and spent a few months with it, turning to the stripped-down tension of "Toxic Mask" and "Double Life" — songs that feel like they're wrestling with something just out of frame. It's the kind of record that sticks around without demanding constant attention.