Kind of like the cool, mysterious person you’ve been eyeing all night in the corner of a dimly lit bar, you can’t quite figure out Nanami Ozone. At least not at first. A romantic yet dismal sort of overcast hangs over the entirety of all that the band does, but especially so on No, their sophomore full-length release. Sincere yet brooding lyricism pairs with gloomy, hazy guitar-driven rock creating a feeling of deep passion. This passion is not love though. Nanami Ozone does not make music for love. Their songs are not sentimental, starry-eyed ballads for fleeting moments of fondness. Nanami Ozone makes music for the complexities and emotions which accompany love: lust, confusion, desire, fixation, hurt. Simultaneously perfect for late, pink midsummer sunsets, as well as chilly, introspective winter evenings spent at home; the album is equal parts solicitous and pensive.

This Phoenix, Arizona post-rock quartet keep listeners on their toes as they mix dreamy atmospheric sounds with subtle fuzzy noise. Rich, resonant bass and delicate, driving percussion prevent songs from droning off into oblivion; courtesy of bassist Jordan Owen and drummer Chris Gerber. Dual guitarist/vocalists Sophie Opich and Colson Miller trade off as they deliver droney distorted guitars and vocals calm, cool, and collected enough to come off as almost apathetic if it weren’t for the stirring feeling of earnestness that lay just below the surface. Some moments feel fraught, almost like a dull anxiety– found on “Affection” and “Something to You”, which both convey a profound sense of yearning for more. Emotional odes to the past “Erase Time” and “Think of Me None” showcase a distinct tenderness.

Just as idiosyncrasies make love interesting, it’s the idiosyncrasies that make Nanami Ozone’s music interesting. Not quite pop, not quite punk, not quite shoegaze. The band breathes new life into subdued indie pop music as they add elements of emotive rock and components of impassioned and dark shoegaze. What results is music crafting with the intention of being turned up and felt throughout the listener’s entire body.