Passion Pit get right to the point on their new album, Kindred, which opens with an explosively peppy dance track called “Lift It Up (1985)” that acts immediately as an intense mood-booster. Passion Pit mastermind Michael Angelakos hasn’t necessarily written about the most feel-good subject matter in his lyrics, but this album, in itself, is the most feel-good collection of music so far this year. Like the group’s prior two releases, Kindred revels in propulsive, carefree synth beats, balancing any emotional heft and depth in the lyrics with continuous sonic merriment. Even when Angelakos leans inward and slows down the beat, like on ethereal ballad “Dancing on the Grave,” a sense of lightness lingers, a reminder that darkness doesn’t necessarily have to sound dark. The music is at its most expressive when Angelakos—and the listener, by association—fully lets loose. “My Brother Taught Me How to Swim” is a chipper, swirling dance number, and mid-tempo anthem “All I Want” is all-encompassing in its layered beats. Angelakos may not always feel good, a sensibility that emerges in some of the album’s lyrics, but he clearly wants to give the listener an experience that ensures they always will.