Yellow Ostrich returns with a fuller sound in their sophomore album, Strange Land, via Barsuk Records. Persistent percussion and even some shmancy horns join in on lead singer Alex Schaaf’s naked, summersun voice. Get noisy with “The Shakedown,” or nostalgic with “Daughter,” which features triple-decker harmonies in rounds. But my fave is definitely their opening song, “Elephant King,” full of those good ol’ rhythmic, repetitious lyrics, reminiscent of the ever so addicting monosyllabic chanting that won my heart in their first album. Hammock-swinging goodness indeed.

Psst… catch Yellow Ostrich on their North American tour, especially at Fun Fun Fun Fest, fellow Austinites!

This review was written by collaborator Victoria Montalvo, an undergraduate studying film at the University of Texas at Austin and currently studying abroad in Hong Kong.