Nostalgia has become something of a cheap, temporal thrill in today’s creative culture. There’s nothing worse than hearing an artist attempting to recreate a past feeling through an imitation of sound from its imperial era, hoping to hit the exact same way. The Van Pelt, who after being 26 years removed from a proper studio release, are not interested in doing that even if the past flickers throughout their long-awaited third full-length effort, Artisans & Merchants. Seminal within the emotive indie rock scene decades ago alongside the more nuanced sounds of Karate, June of 44 and American Football, the sedated punk and post-hardcore which Chris Leo, Brian Maryansky, Neil O’Brien and Sean Greene cultivated in their earlier work remains at its foundation, but all the more adventurous and artistically wiser through the modern day lens in listens that weird out in asymmetrical post-punk and experimental psych rock detours while remaining resoundingly melodious. Leo’s sing-spoken trail of words often recollects past memories of shows and the harder realities of being an independent band in a different era than what today’s kids in vans put up with, yet necessarily condescending today’s culture, but instead offering a road map for any young band willing to listen. There’s the perils of death, aging, and love spun up around “the best focaccia in the world,” and when it hits a certain feeling, it’s the one of bringing new life to ones you thought had long passed you by.

Highlights: “Image of Health”, “Artisans & Merchants”, “Cold Coconuts”

The Van Pelt’s Artisans & Merchants is available now on Gringo Records / La Castanya / Spartan Records.

Buy | Stream