A post-rock supergroup of sorts featuring former Shrimp Boat frontman Sam Prekop, ex-Coctails guitarist/keyboardist Archer Prewitt, one-time Tortoise drummer/studio whiz John McEntire, and bassist Eric Claridge, Chicago’s the Sea and Cake draw on a refined, fusion-derived rock palette that’s typical of the Tortoise family tree of bands and projects. All the familiar techno-organic touchstones are here on this, their sixth full-length, from the sunny glint of vaguely Brazilian grooves to subtle loops and sampling, from delicate digital background patter to krautrock-style metronomic beats. Prekop’s distinct gossamer vocals help tie together even the most divergent material, including "Four Corners," with its twangy country guitars, and "One Bedroom," with its jazzy interplay between the synths and guitars.

The disc comes to a comfortable close with a straight rendition of David Bowie’s "Sound & Vision," a song that sums up the Sea and Cake æsthetic as well as, if not better than, any of their own material. "And I will sing, waiting for the gift of sound and vision/Drifting into my solitude, over my head," Prekop sings liltingly, with background aid from the baritone voices of the Aluminum Group’s Navin brothers. Call it his way of underlining the sonic mission of the Sea and Cake: to fuse hushed, fluttering synths, crystalline guitars, and subtle pop melodies into a post-grad, art-school version of indie rock.