Brass Bed’s In the Yellow Leaf takes its name from a line in “The Poet,” a Ralph Waldo Emerson essay where he compares Plutarch and Shakespeare The catch-all terms of indie and indie pop snag much of what goes on here, but fans will recognize their modernized Big Star meets indie psyche sounds. Even though In the Yellow Leaf appears to be less influenced by alt-country, there are still plenty of textures—a little crunch here and there on “Mind the Gap”—and songs that move you. “I am Just a Whisper” is anything but. Likely the most powerful and standout track on the record, it has a slightly muted pulse but builds to a near boil that is careful not to spill. Likewise, many of the tracks on the record lull you in quietly, then build to just the right hum. Crashing drums of songs like “Be Anything” balance out its dreamy quality and don’t let you slip in too deep.There’s growth and change and questioning throughout—from the very first track, “Maiden Voyage,” about drowning but really a mini allegory for religion. In the melancholy of “Yellow Bursts of Age,” they reflect, “Leaves will shine the brightest as they tumble into heaps” and “Our birth begins decay” over a backing that seems like it was plucked from an underwater love scene of an unreleased 1970s French spy film.

Here and there, it seems like the three-piece is getting older and realizing things are changing around them and that there is little they can do to stop it (or even an interest in doing so). A smart, well written record of grad level poetry, In the Yellow Leaf challenges listeners and is not for those who aren’t looking for something deeper. Instead, they are lush lullabies for post-college thirtysomethings.

It can’t be said that Brass Bed are in their stride—they have never been out of it, helping carry the indie scene in Lafayette since their inception. Brass Bed are simply continuing to get better and are many falls away from browning.