“One of these days, we’ll never be apart again,” John Paul Pitts croons at the climax of “Six Flags in F or G,” a nerd-rock barn burner built on spaghetti western guitar riffs and wah-wah soloing. Within this manic context—of both the song and the band itself—it’s easy to miss the lyric’s subtle poignancy. Snowdonia, Surfer Blood’s inventive fourth LP, is their first without original lightning-rod guitarist Thomas Fekete, who died from cancer in May 2016. The spectre of death looms throughout, but Pitts never wallows in morbidity. Instead, aided by new guitarist Michael McCleary and bassist Lindsey Mills, he exorcises his grief via sonic escapism. The album opens with a handful of churning, surfy anthems (“Matter of Time,” “Frozen”) that recall the thrust of 2010 breakout Astro Coast. But Pitts’ ambitions gradually swell—from the distorted dissonance of “Taking Care of Eddy” to the title-track’s zig-zagging, borderline-prog structure. His most crucial shift is enriching the band’s vocal arrangements, with Mills offering layers of high harmony and call-and-response flourishes. The eight-track set closes with “Carrier Pigeon,” a breezy dedication to Pitts’ mother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Here, with his boyish voice surrounded by swooping guitar reverb and “doo-doo” harmonies, he’s never sounded more at peace. Pain often breeds passion, which often fuels great art. Snowdonia is proof. Ryan Reed