In their third and most recent album, Plywood, alternative rock band Frat Mouse encompasses the DIY spirit of indie music with hard-hitting vocals and catchy lyrics

The band’s improvement since its first album is obvious on Plywood, with a clear increase in both overall sound quality and lyrical material.

Plywood opens with “Grant Wasserstein, Pt. 3,” which is a continuation of the story Frat Mouse used on its previous two albums.

Opening with a familiar hook starts the album off strong, but also creates a feeling of it being over before anything really starts. The song allows longtime listeners to grasp the way Plywood ties together the rest of Frat Mouse’s discography, which makes it better suited as a closing track than an opening one.

Still, Plywood perfectly creates a feeling of nostalgia that both longtime fans and new listeners can appreciate. The lyrics capture universal experiences and feelings from the last year while recurring chords and melodies from past albums allow fans to reminisce on how far the band has come.

Overall, the album is a huge success. It shows a clear improvement in quality, yet manages to stay true to the raw, DIY sound that Frat Mouse is known for.