Post rock is typically a patient genre. Bands build elaborate landscapes of cinematic splendor and emotional catharsis that evoke the heights and depths of the human experience. But this usually takes a while: it’s not unusual for a post rock tune to sail right past the seven-minute mark—or even the ten minute mark.

But on -aire, The End of the Ocean achieves the same evocative heights without wasting any time.

A quick glance at the run times is a telling story: the Columbus post rockers fit ten tracks into fifty minutes, which might not be impressive for a pop group, but when Explosions in the Sky fits six songs in the same timeframe and most of their acolytes follow suit, it’s relatively concise. Of those songs, only two stretch past six minutes. Five of the tracks clock in under five.

The economy of the group’s composition is shown stunningly in the first track, “endure.” Delicate piano chords open the track, being joined on each repeat by drums and light guitars before exploding into an anthemic crash of distortion. By the time the track ends after three and a half minutes, many of their contemporaries wouldn’t have even reached the loud part yet.

“bravado” skips the pretense and starts with the loud part, quieting down to a chilling groove before returning to another loud coda. It ends with a heart-tugging build built for a movie score. “jubilant” is as described, delayed guitars riffing in a major key while the joyful drums rush along. It doesn’t even lose its glee when the drums borrow some blast beats from black metal.

That isn’t to say the record just rushes headlong through its tracks, though. The longest track, the 7:16 “homesick” shows that the band can restrain themselves with the best of them. The first three minutes dwell in swirling ambience before abruptly bursting into a heavy-hitting post rock anthem. After several repeats of the loud section, it comes down again, building on a driving bass line and cascading electric guitars for a few more minutes before exploding into the most soaring anthem on the disk.

Despite the seemed lack of patience, The End of the Ocean hits every button that makes post rock great: stunning guitar work, drums that master every dynamic shift, gorgeous atmospheres, and affecting composition. This being their major label debut on just their second release, it’s clear that they’re doing something right without even listening to the record.