When I reviewed Circus Trees’ debut EP Sekura, I wished for a vinyl version of Delusions, their full-length follow up. And now, the vinyl gods (or more realistically, their mentor/manager/father) have heard my prayer and made good on it.

Good thing too, because the sonic heft of these songs demands a weightier medium than can be offered by ones and zeros.

In my previous post on Circus Trees, I spoke at length on the cultural role of teenage girls in rock and roll. Often, they are seen as the lowest common denominators, devouring and obsessing over the cheesiest lyrics and easiest hooks. Sekura proved that those old stereotypes were passe as the McCarthy Sisters offered up four songs of doomy heaviness. They’re not just “pretty good for teenage girls.” They’re good, period.

And on Delusions, they’re not trying to prove themselves. This is a record made by artists with something to say, hang whatever expectations others might have for them. While their debut had some moments that were more immediately derivative, on Delusions they have found their voice. The composition is more nuanced than the common heavy part/soft part that many bands (some of my favorite bands!) rely on, experimenting with odd chord changes and more deliberate songwriting, such as the near-eight-minute “Breath,” which doesn’t kick on the fuzz pedals until nearly five minutes in.

The songs are often existential, looking for meaning outside of the vapid, shallow values of the Instagram-set culture we live in. Crushing opener “Wasted Air” displays a strong preference for silence over useless chatter. “Wicked” tells the story of a young girl contorting herself to fit the mold set to her by an abusive support structure, the music alternating between almost bouncing verses and explosive, desperate choruses.

Sonically, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The amps are engineered so immaculately that you can almost hear each individual grain on the overdrive. The crushing wall-of-sound moments are just as clear as the quiet passages of clean guitar. Despite the fact that this is a three-piece recorded without many extra layers, it all sounds incredibly dense. The best example is perhaps the 8+ minute closer “Till We’re Dead,” where the trio really lets themselves loose.

It’s more than just good songs and great tone though. This is a cohesive album. Clinical samples are scattered between tracks. Songs borrow themes from eachother. The sonic palette is simple, satisfying, and unwavering. And though these sisters may be young (the oldest is just eighteen), they have already found their voices as songwriters. And if Delusions is what they’re putting out so early in their lives, I can’t wait to see where these sisters go.