Following a year of writing and recording with production mavericks Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Delgados) and Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev), Lake Trout released their highly anticipated full-length album Not Them, You.

Lake Trout has always defied simple definition, a symptom identifiable with their Baltimore upbringing, growing up in a working class atmosphere open to the arts and developing their sound in a city with a rich history of diversity. They found no defined music “scene” to associate with - the city’s fans are open books who favor all types of music. Lake Trout’s rich sonic palette developed from this, and is based on “simply defined” genres being interchangeable at whim, in composition and live renderings. This is the foundation for the type of post rock Not Them, You delivers.

Building on the critical praise of Another One Lost and a work-horse touring ethic that has earned the band a loyal following on the road, Not Them, You is a landmark album in the band’s 7-year evolution. The opening track “Shiny Wrapper” launches the album in classic Lake Trout form: A dark, repetitive rhythm section of foreboding air is lifted by swirling flute and Ranere’s evocative vocals, all lying in wait for the coming chorus. This is where the band’s evolution shows: The track erupts with a landslide of reverb on the vocals and keys, backed by an aggressive beat that delivers the first of many great hooks embedded throughout the album. Lake Trout has successfully redefined their sound, bridging the more open, complex arrangements of their early work with a strong sense of melody and memorable guitar lines and lyrics. Other tracks such as “Now We Know,” with its shoegazer squall of guitar, and the churning gait of “Riddle” are tell-tale signs of this maturity.

And still, Not Them, You is more than a variety of genre influences. There are unique dynamics throughout the album, and the strength of each song is best measured by its sequence and distinctive characteristics to another. In a “single”-driven age of digital downloads and advertising placement, Lake Trout have delivered a true “album” in its purest form. From the orchestral ambience of “Not Them, You,” “King” and the closer “Keep Your Eyes Shut;” to the anthem builds of “If I Can” and “Forward March;” or the bittersweet ballad “Honey,” Not Them, You’s wide diversity shows its significance with repeated exposure as a whole. And if the demands of commerce request songs in a “single” context, the band’s cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man” delivers the revolutionary message of the original, and adds a cacophony of angelic strings and the majestic style of Dave Fridmann’s production ethos for a one-of-a-kind experience.

With the release of Lake Trout’s Not Them, You, the band continues to defy simple definition by being true to where they come from and never defining where they’ll take us. They are bridging an array of genres and characterizing their own post rock sound, and we’re the lucky ones listening in.