Kevin Bronson on March 3rd, 2015

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Long-running Oregon duo the Helio Sequence have been reliable purveyors of cerebral indie-rock for some 15 years now, their sound ranging from ambient, electronic-infused jams to swirling psychedelia to pop quietude. After 2008’s nadir “Keep Your Eyes Ahead,” the duo of Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel returned in 2012 with “Negotiations,” an album so meticulous it felt claustrophic. But their new song “Stoic Resemblance” is not that — the tune from their forthcoming sixth album, a self-titled affair due May 19 via Sub Pop, is a rager by comparison, rhythmically reminiscent of Beck. The band explains that the album derived from a competition among friends in the Portland scene called “The 20-Song Game,” in which artists would record 20 songs in one day and then rehash them and the creative process at party afterward. The spirit and immediacy of that exercise led to the Summers/Weikel tandem making 26 songs and sending them to 31 friends for a vote. The 10 favorites made the album; 11 others will be available on the limited-edition collection “The Sunrise Demos.” With this new song, anyway, it’s great to find the Helio Sequence upping their game, and being a little less stoic.

||| Stream: “Stoic Resemblance”

Photo by William Anthony

||| Also: Below, watch the visuals for “Stoic Resemblance,” directed by multimedia artist Emanuele Kabu: