VINYL FORMAT. At the core of every contented family is a sense of balance, an emotional push-and-pull that helps stabilize the entire unit. A similar equilibrium anchors Le Loup's second album, Family. Recorded in a remote cabin and a Maryland basement, the record finds the middle ground between tribal rock, freak folk, and sonic experimentation.

Sophomore albums are tricky to create, but Family is a different beast altogether. It's an expansion of Le Loup's sound, an introduction to the completed line-up, and - above all else - a showcase for Le Loup's strength as a live band. The insular tone that Simkoff brought to his previous work is gone, having been replaced by a collective mentality fueled by the band's successful touring history. The result is an album of experimental rock songs and campfire sing-alongs, set amidst swirling textures and murky production. Le Loup is still a young family, of course, but Family is nothing short of a musical coming-of-age. Adulthood never sounded so promising.