Finding inspiration in tender psychedelia, existential poetry & literature, and the woollier, more expansive realm of the punk rock canon, Local Tourist have fashioned a sound out of defiant vulnerability.

Co-produced by Umstead & Sampson, Other Ways of Living feels both hushed and pronounced, earthy and otherworldly. The songs themselves open gradually with a wary strength, like battered coastal flowers in the morning sunlight. Sampson and Dalley underpin Umstead’s steady slow burners with understated, unfurling interplay. At once Umstead’s voice is the centerpiece – holding low and sagacious while ember-glow guitars smolder with an almost devotional quality. The effect is warming. A peaceful pull inward.

But it’s the attention to detail here which most enchants: the candescent, ever-so-warbled guitar tones, Umstead’s sedate phrasing, the perfectly luminous production throughout. Perhaps the album’s greatest feat is the way it leans into dark spaces without ever falling on oppressive terrain. Rather, each song maintains a steady flame, buoyant like proud little boats atop uneasy seas.

With Other Ways of Living Local Tourist have offered up a gentle burner for all seasons.