On their first two EPs Crying utilized chaotic, dance-able chiptune to anxious and energetic ends. Last year’s one-off “Patriot” saw them moving away from that sound, drawing from prog and arena rock as inspirations and revitalizing what is often derided as a canonically cheesy genre. The Brooklyn-based trio’s new album, Beyond The Fleeting Gales, pulls them even further in that direction. It’s a collection of sharp and densely-orchestrated songs that celebrate the likes of Queen, REO Speedwagon, and Van Halen, channeling the power chords and bravado into overblown and electrifying power-pop.

Lead single “Wool In The Wash” starts with a gentle sway that builds to a twinkling and playful finish. Elaiza Santos assumes the role of aspirational motivator, addressing a third party in the hook, or maybe just psyching herself up: “If you want it, girl go and get it/ Pick the wound despite all that they say to you/ What’s there to lose in making a move?” The track takes its carpe diem advice to heart, becoming more confident and loose as it barrels along, fighting against the urge to shrink against life’s seemingly impossible odds. “I wrote this song while on tour with Real Life Buildings last summer,” Santos explains over e-mail. “There was a month of road behind me and a month of road ahead — found myself recoiling. The track questions what we see and don’t see, trying to unsee and seeking, whether or not those things will hurt us.”

The band’s Ryan Galloway adds of the track’s conception: “The verse and the synth melody there has been in my head for about four years and it’s wild that it wasn’t a Crying song before this album. It wasn’t until recently that I came up with all of the other parts and that was kind of all at once. We’re showing it off first because 1. it’s a straight up pop song, but also a straight up rock song so it gets to show off Crying’s songwriting and melodic sensibilities without asking the listener for too much and 2. it does a good job of showcasing the shinier, stadium-ier style of the new album while retaining all of the Crying energy and density from earlier releases.”

Listen below.

Tracklist:

01 “Premonitory Dream”

02 “Wool In The Wash”

03 “Patriot”

04 “Origin”

05 “Well And Spring”

06 “A Sudden Gust”

07 “There Was A Door”

08 “Revive”

09 “Children Of The Wind”

10 “The Curve”

Tour Dates:

09/24 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter

09/25 Durham, NC @ The Pinhook

09/26 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory)

09/28 Denton, TX @ Purple Palace

09/29 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk

10/01 Tempe, AZ @ 51 West

10/02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo ^

10/05 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall ^&

10/07 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre ^&

10/09 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^&

10/10 Missoula, MT @ The Badlander ^&

10/11 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ^&

10/12 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater ^&

10/14 Burnsville, MN @ The Garage ^&

10/15 Chicago, IL @ Metro ^&

10/16 Detroit, MI @ El Club ^&

10/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg ^&

10/19 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ^&

10/20 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ^&

10/21 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ^&

10/22 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church ^&

10/23 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar ^&

10/24 Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater ^&

10/25 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop ^&

10/27 St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill ^&

10/28 Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater ^&

10/29 Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Collective ^&

11/01 Nashville, TN @ The Glass Menage

11/02 Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness

11/03 Ithaca, NY @ The Loft at The Chanticleer

^ w/ the Hotelier

& w/ Joyce Manor

Beyond The Fleeting Gales is out 10/14 via Run For Cover Records. Pre-order it here.