Eight years since their last album, Jakob finally unleash Sines. This is an album that demands a good pair of headphones.

New Zealand isn’t exactly flush with post-rock acts, but Jakob has always been one of note. Formed a full sixteen years ago, the band has released four albums over that span of time; the latest, Sines, is much delayed and finally arrives eight years after the quintessential Solace, which still gives us goosebumps.

To their credit, Jakob was tuned into the ambient post-rock way before all the cool kids were doing it. Although the band hasn’t reached the level of notoriety of other post-rock bands of the same tenure, Jakob is still one of the most acclaimed bands on the market. Thanks to some slick production and crafty songwriting, the band routinely delivers well balanced albums that offer a spread of ear-catching sounds and addicting rock. Unlike many of its peers, Jakob doesn’t rely on the narrative structure to anchor an album; rather, its albums progress much more like ambient affairs where the music simply rolls out and envelops the audience. The appropriately titled Sines follows in its predecessors’ footsteps, though it’s executed even better than them, as we might expect from an album eight years in the pipeline.

Jakob’s return should be openly welcomed by the post-rock community. Here’s hoping for a follow-up before 2022.