Mogwai’s discography is a bit difficult to sort out. With an enormous catalog and the mythos to match, it can be difficult to get a handle on which records stand out from among the rest of their output.

But I’ve noticed two matters of consensus among the Mogwai fanbase. First, that Young Team is their best album. Second, that Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is absolutely fantastic.

I’ve seen this disc referred to by many as a “return to form.” And while that ignores that they’ve never made a bad album, there’s a undeniable freshness that runs through Hardcore. They’ve always had an experimental bent to them, but on this disc, it really, truly feels like the band is having a blast.

“White Noise” opens the album with a skittering guitar loop and bursts of noise, blooming into one of their trademark post rock anthems. “Mexican Grand Prix” takes a hard left turn, employing a Motorik drum machine and vocoder in an homage to Neu! and Kraftwerk. “Rano Pano” lays on the guitar fuzz and shreds through a plodding riff.  “Letters to the Metro” returns to the piano balladry of The Hawk Is Howling.

Other tracks put the rock and roll back into post rock. “San Pedro” riffs along an urgent drum beat without any of post rock’s usual patience. “George Square Thatcher Death Party” could be a Bloc Party song if Kele Okereke showed up.

And through all the stylistic twists and turns, you might expect this album to feel a little disjointed. But even through the turns of electronica, indie rock, and heavy metal, this is unmistakably Mogwai. The 8-minute closer “You’re Lionel Ritchie” (a statement made by guitarist Stuart Braithwaite when he ran into Lionel Ritchie in an airport) is as quintessential a demonstration of their sonic palette as anything they’ve done, moving from pastoral instrumental licks, telephone samples, atmospheric experimentation, and crushing climaxes.

At the end of the day, every Mogwai record stands on its own two feet. But Hardcore’s mischievousness makes it a shining star in a catalog filled with shining stars. If you could only choose one Mogwai record, this might go the furthest.