Polarizer

urtesy of drummer/vocalist Johnathan Schiller and bassist Chris Shen, who had been performing live with the group since 2016 but hadn’t yet been featured on a recording. Each contributed original material to the group of songs that would form LFTU. Schiller and Shen, along with founding members Taylor Brennan (vocals), Ian Palmer (guitar), and Stan Tencza (keyboards), began work on the new LP in 2018, hunkering down in Chicago’s Rax Trax Studios with producer Noam Wallenberg. Wallenberg helmed the group’s 2013 debut, “Lightscapes,” which garnered attention for its powerful, polished sound and prog-leaning tendencies. The band’s new 12-track album marries the spacey textures and ethereal vocals found in their previous work with muscular grooves and anthemic choruses, and represents a confident step forward for the group.