It’s the first of July, and New York City has been sweltering with heat waves and an equally suffocating news cycle that continues its relentless churn. Rather than revel in the political anxiety, I’ve chosen to step outside of it and distract myself—at least for a bit—by sinking into Pile’s forthcoming ninth album, Sunshine and Balance Beams, a record that serves as the perfect soundtrack to the times of uncertainty ahead.

The album is arguably Pile’s most introspective work yet, fitting as the missing puzzle piece to the ongoing cycle of mayhem that litters the present day. A nine-track LP that is anxious, luminous, and defiantly alive, it highlights both the negative and positive space, and showcases that within both its lyrics and its musical composition.

“Beyond the trees that lean towards the sun/Things’ll open up,” guitarist-singersongwriter Rick Maguire chants during the album’s second song, “An Opening,” over crisp guitar strumming, leading into pounding drums before he claims, “There we can all rest/And then be made anew,” a perfect blend of slight hope within an anxiety-inducing beat.