CD of The Week

The two and a half years following Cults' self-titled debut may have proven fruitful commercially, but they were also fractious personally, as they saw Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion sever their romantic relationship for the sake of their creative one. That kind of interpersonal turmoil can't help but leave one in a more introspective place. And so the band that once beckoned so many listeners to "Go Outside" have retreated back in, turned out the lights and turned up the Static on their sophomore release.

Befitting the duo's mournful mindset and the production credits of Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Washed Out, Deerhunter), Static is darker, murkier, and deeper than anything they've done before. Where they once equated love to a kind of abduction, they now equate freedom to loss and vice versa. One minute, Follin bitterly swears "there's no more tears to cry for you" on "We've Got It." The next, all she wants is "to keep you here forever" on "Shine a Light."

The heavier, headier subject matter in the lyrics is matched musically with moodier, broodier pop textures that flash forward from the debut's '60s sunshine into the swanky, sweaty '70s. While nothing here is as instantly catchy as their name-making early singles, these songs will likely resonate longer once they grow on you. Static can have many meanings. It can refer to a kind of stasis as well as a kind of interference. While Cults have been deliberately vague with what it means for their newest statement of intent, the feelings captured and conveyed throughout couldn't come through clearer if they tried. see the Static of Cults live at The TLA, now rescheduled for December 5th.