After hearing My Epic’s name in the periphery of my awareness for years, the project that finally drew my attention was Ultraviolet, one half of a pair of EPs.

While their M.O. has always drawn heavily on experimentation, the Ultraviolet/Violence project finds them restricting themselves to specific elements of their palette.

Ultraviolet, the softer of the two, leans heavy into dream pop, electronica, and ambient post rock, without losing any of their edge.

“Of Wilderness” serves as a fitting overture, opening with blissful chorus-drenched chords that give way to an arena-rock ready vocal hook before bursting into a wall of crashing shoegaze chords. “Voices” stacks layers of synths and heavily-effected vocals into a longing drama that never finds its release. “So Be It” (perhaps my favorite My Epic track) starts with a subdued guitar arpeggio, adding angular chord hits in the second verse before swelling to a crash of post rock catharsis.

“In Absentia” runs hurriedly along a glitching drum beat, its urgency building an anxiousness that collapses into an acapella prayer to “light the darkness.” Closer “Two Nights” allows itself to flex its muscles with a heft that forecasts the second part of the two-part project,  closing the record with huge riffs and melodies to match.

But what’s remarkable about Ultraviolet is that as subdued as it keeps things, it never loses importance. Often, these sorts of “quiet songs/loud songs” projects end up with softer side being subdued to the point of being boring. But here, I think Ultraviolet may be the more interesting of the two projects (or at least my preference, by a sliver). Instead of restraining itself completely, it rethinks how to pull off compositionally dramatic moments without the same old sonic tricks. Frontman Aaron Stone is commanding without ever raising his voice above his crooning tenor. The band is powerful without playing as loud as they can every chorus.

And there’s something captivating about the way they pull it off. It feels heavy without being loud. It feels dreamy and trancelike without being boring. It’s the kind of record that’s appropriate to chill with in your headphones or to blast through your stereo and let it wash over you.

My only complaint with this record is that it’s only 22 minutes long. I could definitely hang with this vibe for twice as long at least.