A quickly rising alt-rock outfit from Switzerland, Lightnode pays extremely close attention to mood across these nine tracks. Lyrically, they surround topics like Mediterranean refugees, as well as personal matters of low moments and transitions in life, and even tip their hat to the ’60s and ’70s thanks to the well timed organ prowess.

“Same Time Same Place,” the first single, opens the listen with a jangly warmth that welcomes smooth, melodic singing alongside the swirling guitars and the occasional bout of grit. “Made Of Gold” follows, a cozy, acoustic strummer that’s full of agile drumming, emotive vocals and a glowing cautiousness, while “Stay” focuses much on ambience in the intimate, soulful delivery.

“Back From The Bottom Ground” and “Knocking At My Soul” arrive in the middle, where the former builds into a dense, retro-rocker that’s cathartic and gritty, and the latter brings bursts of driving rock amid this anthemic, busy and soaring record highlight that seems like it could entertain an arena of fans.

The back half of the listen is populated by the hypnotic and breezy “Out Of Range,” as moments of thick ’90s rock are sprinkled in between the poetic beauty, and the nostalgic folk nods of the soothing “Philosophies,” which illustrates much diversity. “Fine,” a quicker track, finishes the listen with a scrappy tempo and charming buzzing that exits the listen far too soon.

An excellent debut album from the quintet spearheaded by the singer and lyricist Roger Imboden, you might be reminded of legends like Counting Crows or Wilco here, as Lightnode balance calm, mesmerizing moments with muscular versions of modern indie-rock and plenty of distinct influences from decades past, too, in their playful yet profound version of rock.

Rating: B+

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