Much like their breakthrough debut, Astronoid's self-titled follow-up is hard to define and a wonder to behold. Once again transporting listeners into the ether upon a dream-thrash cloud, the Lowell, Massachusetts-based band manage to elevate their sound - soaring higher and purer - while exercising matured control over their attack. Tracks explode even brighter and hit even harder, sliding into a torrential sweet spot that trades the riffy, hardcore leanings and prog noodling of Air for expanded psych-rock atmospherics. Of their many influences, Astronoid draw more upon the beauty/brutality dichotomy favored by acts like Mew and Deftones, a grander and more refined version of their vision. "A New Color" sparkles to life and boldly sets the stage for the urgent "I Dream in Lines," whose melodic undercurrent and angelic harmonies lift Astronoid above the murk. Later, "Water" pummels like mid-era Deftones before delivering the shivers via a sublime and cleansing shift in the song's tone that showcases frontman Brett Boland's increasingly angelic vocals. The band - bassist Daniel Schwartz, guitarist Casey Aylward, and drummer Matt St. Jean - have also evolved in kind, offering a focused attack that is tighter and more robust. In the span of an album, Astronoid have gone from sounding like underground DIY kids to full-fledged pros. While this effort is not as much of a revelation as Air - simply because the band is no longer a secret - Astronoid is every bit as rewarding, inspirational, and outright beautiful.