The internet has come a long way since I would spend hours scouring forums and record label sites for new bands, frantically downloading songs at the speed of dial-up, and hoping that at the end of the three-hour download, it wouldn’t be that stupid Bill Clinton impression. But if we’re being honest, having instant access to nearly every song ever recorded has brought its own problems.

That’s why it’s so helpful when a new band just plops their music right in front of you.

That’s what happened with Another Heaven (formerly post-punk outfit Hollow Boys) who dropped a track onto the r/shoegaze subreddit a couple years ago with a promise that they were working on an album. I saved the post, but forgot about it until a few weeks ago. And when I went looking for said album, I found three. The most recent (and fully formed) of these was this—a collection of heavy, sludgy shoegaze songs about the apocalypse. You know, the exact stuff I’m into.

The Sorrowful Cries of Birds with Singed Feathers delivers everything you’d want from a self proclaimed “sludgy shoegaze” outfit. The guitars are entirely engulfed in fiery fuzz and spacious reverb pedals, with drums aggressive enough to match without rushing the tempo. As heavy as they get though, it rarely feels dour. There’s a lightness to the compositions that keep the songs firmly rooted in dreamy transcendence even at the loudest moments.

But the biggest thing that sets Another Heaven apart in the genre is the vocals. Most shoegaze vocals are somewhat obscured, whether they be buried in the mix, drowned in effects, or delivered in a near whisper. But Another Heaven is far more vocal-forward than their peers. The chorus of “Headless” is catchy enough that it could have been an emo anthem in the early 2000s. But even besides the powerful clean melodies, there are moments of grungy half shouts a la Helms Alee (“Your Shadow“) and even some hardcore screams like on closer “Only Death Is Real.”

Throughout their various deliveries and moods, Another Heaven takes the listener on a sonic journey best experienced at once. Certainly, each song is enjoyable on its own, but the full emotional weight is only felt when heard in context (which also helps some of the less conventional vocal deliveries make sense). I’m not going to act like this is a top-tier, ten-out-of-ten record, but in a scene where most bands are aiming for the same sonic ideal, it’s definitely a breath of fresh air.