Rounding out 2017 as best they can, NY-based Israeli transplant quintet Seasonal Beast released a particularly entrancing eleven-track album titled Muscle Memory in October. From first track “I Can Make You Disappear”, you feel like your whole being is melting into another world, steered bravely by a largely electronic – and intrinsically beautiful – soundscape. Second track “Making Shapes” is instrumental, and almost emotes an extra-terrestrial feeling, as though you’re being abducted by some of the most fabulous aliens in existence. “Dry Bones” takes a turn for the delicate, but it isn’t misplaced in any way.

“This Is Where” is comprised of vocals that really feel like a chant, mellowing out the album to this monotonous but curiously otherworldly tempo. While “Take Me Back” pumps a little more into the tempo and hosts more robust vocals, “Another Day” brings with it more reverb, and a slightly unamused, punk, almost theatrical feel. It’s a darker side to the band, but it’s just as ethereal as its predecessors. “Heading to a Wall” seems to mellow it all out again, driven by the acoustic guitar. “Ungovernable” might have the most alluring title, and the vibe of the track is very “take charge,” full of strength in every note. This one is a standout favorite, hands down.

“Don’t Disappear” is another instrumental beauty, while “Playing in the Dark” has more of a nostalgic feel to it, if not only because the instrumentals between choruses remind us of the carnivals of our youth. (That’s a thing, right? Other people also attended carnivals and fairs?) Of course, it ambles right into the last track, aptly titled “No One Can Open the Door (Only I from the Inside)”, which is a soft and beautiful – almost lounge-like – in its disposition. It brings the tempo down, and rounds the release out perfectly, repetitive in lyrics but allowing the instrumentals to build and take center stage.

Muscle Memory is available now. Keep up with Seasonal Beast here.

Meredith Schneider