Los Angeles-based band Bad Suns have announced their fourth studio album Apocalypse Whenever out January 28.

Produced by long-time collaborator, Eric Palmquist (half•alive, Mutemath, Thrice), Apocalypse Whenever features dreamy ’80s pastiche flanked by Stratocasters through cranked Vox amps, pulsing synths, and palpable rhythmic energy. While all of the elements associated with the band’s signature sound are beautifully showcased, their fourth studio album sees Bad Suns take a more conceptual approach to their songwriting, resulting in their most sophisticated work to date.

The 13-track album was conceived as “the soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t yet exist,” setting the scene as the album’s protagonist washes up on the shores of a fictionalised LA after a near-death experience at the hands of the turbulent ocean. In order to fully conceptualise their story, the band did what any good director would do; assembling a mood board, filtering their neo-noir version of Los Angeles through the dreamlike haziness of author Haruki Murakami, the futuristic flair of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Blade Runner, and the lifted cinematography of Spike Jonze’s HER.

“Throughout the course of the album, the main character is forced to re-evaluate everything that’s happened in their life,” vocalist Christo Bowman explains. “Ultimately, the takeaway they’re left with is, ‘This could all end at any time, so instead of moaning about things, I’m going to make the most of it.’”

Alongside the announcement, the band unveil “When The World Was Mine,” which finds their protagonist nostalgic for what once was.