The third of May is an important date in Fleet Foxes history. Six years ago, on that day, they released their last album, Helplessness Blues. In the time since, the band’s members have released solo music, started side projects, or departed the group altogether. Less obviously, May 3 is also the birthday of founding member, guitarist Skyler Skjelset, who is the focus of Fleet Foxes’ new song “Third of May / Ōdaigahara.”

The band’s first single from their forthcoming record Crack-Up is a sober reflection on how Robin Pecknold and Skjelset’s relationship has endured success. With this issue serving as a guiding subject, Fleet Foxes present their longest and most experimental number yet. Though it’s full of all the qualities Fleet Foxes fans savor (sprawling crescendos, bellowed introspection, bucolic imagery), it feels evolved. What begins as a traditional Fleet Foxes song slowly transforms into a mournful, mystical instrumental. They retain the grand orchestration of their past work, but rather than sticking to one tone, the track dissolves into several acts across its nearly nine minutes: contemplation, melancholy, chaos, and resolution. Meanwhile, Pecknold’s lyrics take a similarly elaborate turn: “Aren’t we made to be crowded together, like leaves,” he sings. To him, their long friendship is as innate as seasons changing, but its absence is dire (“If I lead you through the fury, will you call to me?”). Fleet Foxes songs have certainly been devastating before, but never has their sensation of warmth been so wrapped in uncertainty.

The world has changed drastically since the days of Helplessness Blues. How do Fleet Foxes fit into a musical landscape where Bon Iver can make an electronic record and the Lumineers can sell out MSG? Fleet Foxes are literally out of the woods now that Pecknold resides in New York City, but they still choose to embrace nature’s aura. Instead of sounding like anachronisms, Pecknold and Skjelset dig into the past to find a way forward. On “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” Fleet Foxes show that they can open themselves to an expanding world without losing themselves in the process.