In time, Behind Your Blue Fields is the successor to last year’s sophomore full-length Whispers in the Speech Machine, but actually the latest from The Laughing Chimes is a collection of demos and stray recordings that preceded it, capturing the moment their bright-eyed jangle pop instincts began drifting toward murkier post-punk shadows. Band leader Evan Seurkamp explains that the concept of a “wow unreleased Chimes demo compilation!” developed quickly after dusting off his Tascam 4-track and digging through his desk drawer of old tapes (“It’s great to share them with you now as a glimpse into a “what could have been” second album that never fully came to fruition”), also considering the lo-fi rock resurgence among their peers.

There’s a bittersweet charm to hearing songs in this unfinished state: all tape hiss, bedroom melancholy, and unrealized possibility, as captivating as the one they eventually made. Whether Ohio’s prodigies show their light or dark side, whether they sound polished or raw, their knack for a good song with a good melody always wins.

Behind Your Blue Fields is out digitally and on cassette through Slumberland Records.

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