I’ve tried getting into Deafheaven in the past, but was never really able to find my way into their harsh black metal sound. However, my interest was peaked when Infinite Granite promised a mellower version of their sound with mostly clean singing.

Yes, it is substantially more melodic than albums like Sunbather and features mostly singing as opposed to growls and screams, but harsh moments still do occasionally make their way through. And because of the lush, swirling guitars that come before, when things get heavy they hit so much harder.

But more than anything, this is an album I can just get lost in. It will also forever be associated with a time and place as it came out the weekend before I traveled home to the east coast to mourn a friend’s passing.

Likely to be my favorite album of the year, and one that I expect to revisit for years to come.