In the five years since its last proper full-length release, Minus the Bear has withstood significant changes. Original drummer Erin Tate split rather unexpectedly in early 2015, and VOIDS is their first project with new member Kiefer Matthias (the band’s former drum tech.) The ensemble also switched labels and management—in a sense, the slate was wiped clean and the group ostensibly had some venting to do via song. Nearly every track on VOIDS is laced with elegantly vengeful lyrics. On lead track “Last Kiss,” frontman Jake Snider sings, “I can’t believe it ends like this.” On a later cut, “Tame Beasts,” keyboardist/vocalist Alex Rose delivers the line, “Where did we lose ourselves? …With the death of us impending, we can’t break away.” It’s difficult and unfair to speculate who these lyrics are directed at, but when Snider drops, “I don’t want any memory of you” on a track called “Erase,” it becomes clear this isn’t about Lost Loves. Sonically, VOIDS is a marvelous account of everything fans have come to love about Minus the Bear. From the churning guitars layered over progged-out synth adornments on “Silver” to the epic and chaotic crescendoing coda of “Lighthouse” to close the record, this feels more like a welcome return to form for a rejuvenated bunch of talented musical technicians. The result of the band’s recent adversity is an exceptionally cohesive effort that ranks among the best of its catalog to date.