Wussy - What Heaven is Like (2018)

If you've heard about Wussy, then you know the Cincinnati-bred group is a critic's darling that has won rave reviews for its six deeply evocative studio albums. But if you've actually listened to the band, which is fronted by ex-Ass Ponys founder Chuck Cleaver and singer Lisa Walker, then you know Wussy is one of the most captivating, eccentric rock acts in the land, known for diamond-sharp lyrics about characters living just inside the fringes.

After a trip into more melodic territory on 2016's "Forever Sounds," the group which also includes bass player Mark Messerly, drummer Joe Klug and pedal steel player John Erhardt delves into a dirtier, grungier sound on its seventh outing, "What Heaven is Like," which it will release May 18.

"That's just a product of what we listen to … some of my favorite '90s bands came out with great new releases in the past two years," Walker said, citing recent favorites from revived '90s alt-rock shoegazer acts such as Ride and Slowdive.

"I was listening to their new stuff, and I was pretty excited about going back to listen to their old ones," she added in explaining the buzz of "What Heaven is Like" songs such as "Skip." That tune brings to mind the gauzy vibe of another of Walker's '90s favorites, Lush, a comparison she chalks up to a happy, "organic" accident.

With all of the group's members taking on day jobs during the recording of the album, the 10-track "What Heaven is Like" took nearly a year to complete. The hard work paid off, though; the songs have a uniformly rich, full sound that's accompanied by what Walker said is a loose theme inspired by the beloved Charles Burns graphic novel "Black Hole."The series tells the tale of a sexually transmitted infection that causes mutations in teenagers, driving them from their homes into hiding and turning them into outcasts.