“Don’t send me away upon this wild goose chase for freedom, for money, for love,” pleads Dark Dark Dark’s Nona Marie Invie over a lulling piano refrain as she struggles to stay afloat amidst the sinking ramble of “Wild Goose Chase,” the closing suite to the chamber-sextet’s recent EP, Bright Bright Bright, a stirring follow-up to their 2008 debut, Snow Magic. With the additions of New Orleans’ multi-instrumentalist Walt McClements and percussionist Brett Bullion the group expands, both thematically and theatrically, upon the rueful folk of their previous endeavor.

Dark Dark Dark’s minimalist compositions revolve around the dynamic shifts and subtle textures that shade the album’s somber hues. Wrought with agony, the juxtaposition of Invie’s pensive alto and the ensemble’s evocative compositions uncover a wearying sense of wonderment. The chilling centerpiece, “Something for Myself,” is an eerie, excruciating waltz that best captures the strength, serenity and vulnerability of this woebegone affair. Here, a tranquil chorus salvages the anguished strain of Invie’s repetitious cry, “I dance like this / for me.”

An emotional outpouring from its opening bars, Bright Bright Bright’s poignant contrasts and haunting revelations seek to soothe the pangs of regret, remorse and rejection that streak this wrenching saga. Invie summons strength and wisdom from these tales of sadness and suffering.