Vancouver post-garage pop group, Reef Shark, released their latest EP World in Space on Big Smoke this summer. Differing from their first two albums, World in Space takes us deeper into the murky depths of the reef. And although Vancouver’s Salish Sea is not home to actual reef sharks, the band embodies the melodic aesthetic common in the city.

The band’s previous work — the 2014 album Better Weather and the 2015 EP Mind Race — carved a rather disconnected and unsure direction on the pipeline between surf-rock and progressive psych-rock. World in Space rides a more consistent path on the wave of garage pop.

Each song on World in Space starts lighthearted and playful before descending quickly into conflict-filled space. The song composition is rather uniform, using eerie guitar riffs, steady drumming and animated vocals stitched together with rippling guitar solos. Through the loaded lyrics and overall instrumental tone, the six-song collection intimately project the highs and lows of early adulthood.

Despite the dark qualities of the music, World in Space remains a satisfying album to come back to. Appropriate for long bus rides, the album transforms from something simple and insignificant into a careful assemblage of complex instrumental and lyrical content that speaks of the human apprehensions we all share.