Courtesy of NPR.

In step with many of the best bands of today, Two Inch Astronaut take their already immaculate sound and find ways to push it further and further into greatness. The songs on their latest record  Foulbrood are filled with immediately satisfying hooks punctuated with bittersweet dissonance that reveal immense intricacies upon closer examination. Matt Gatwood‰’s drumming is precisely asymmetrical and fits perfectly with Sam Rosenberg‰’s busy guitar work.

Two Inch does grade-A tight, loud, noisy freak-outs (“Part of Your Scene,‰” “No Feelings‰Û), but they also deliver these calm-in-the-eye-of-the-storm moments (“1, 2, Talk,” the end of “Foulbrood,‰” “Cigarettes, Boys, and Movies‰Û) where beautifully hypnotic guitar reminds us of the serenity behind all the rage. Likewise, Rosenberg finds himself in falsetto, scream, and everywhere in the middle to coax desired emotional impact from his vocal cords. This artistry delivers song after song, note after note, making Foulbrood undoubtedly one of the finest collections of songs to see the light of day this year. You’d only be doing yourself a disservice to miss it.

Praise and fellating aside, below is a less-than-sober interview with the charming heartthrobs behind the music:

Cameron: Where does this album fit in the grand scheme of the Two Inch discography?

Sam Rosenberg (guitar, vocals): It‰’s definitely the latest.

Matt Gatwood (drums): It‰’s definitely less colorful.

SR: I think it‰’s more patient, more self-assured.

Andy Chervenak (bass): And more selfish.

SR: It is more selfish, more self-serving, much more like selfies, and sounds more like Self, although maybe Bad Brother sounded more like Self. I had a dream the other day that I was listening to Self on Grooveshark and there was a new song that I didn‰’t know and it was really cool.

AC: They have that song goes ‰Doo-doo-doo ba ba Mississippi, going to Richmond destination…‰’

SR: That song sucks. ‰North south beach ba ba Mississippi…‰’

AC: Yeah, that shit‰’s way too perfect in every way.

SR: I‰’d say it‰’s number two, behind Slip Disco, to answer your question.

AC: Slip Disco‰’s definitely the best, number one.

How‰’s reviving the ’90s coming along?

SR: I‰’mma beat your ass.

AC: Did you say M. Night Shyamalan? I thought you said something about the night. Did you say something about the ’90s?

MG: M. Night Shyamalan‰’s from the ’90s. We‰’re trying to bring that kind of genre back.

SR: We do have a song about the movie Devil. That movie was written, but not directed by M. Night Shyamalan … to answer your question. That‰’s about as far ’90s as we‰’ll go. What was this interview for again?

I‰’ll put it on WVAU or Exploding In Sound [ed. note: haha EIS we got it].

SR: We can give you better answers if you wanna email us or something.

AC: I think people appreciate the shitty answers better. Nobody wants to hear a bunch of sober bullshit. Not sober, but sobering.

SR: Yeah, fuck that.

Do you have a favorite song or venue to play? Two-part question.

SR: It‰’s definitely whatever this newest song is.

AC: What are we calling that?

SR: “Good Behavior‰” or “Bad Behavior‰” or something?

AC: I thought it was “Hypnotoad.‰Û

SR: That was the newest-newest one. We don‰’t play that live.

MG: Venue… the Dougout kind of by default.

Are you guys writing with Andy now?

SR: Yeah, the newest ones.

AC: Especially “Hypnotoad.‰Û

Give me a recap of tonight‰’s performance.

SR: Well, at first, I went to the bathroom and drank a bunch of water and decided to really make an effort to…

MG: Just stick to the plan.

SR: Yeah, make it seem like an average Two Inch night and nobody will know how I‰’m feeling inside and I dunno, I just don‰’t care anymore. Who the fuck cares?

MG: Why am I, of all people, up here?

AC: Why didn‰’t I join the Eagle Scouts?

MG: I could be working on my merit badges. This isn‰’t gonna get me a fucking merit badge, getting through this set.

SR: It‰’s that kind of reckless thinking that gets you in trouble. Normally, I‰’m such a hard-ass about the band stuff: must sound good, ropes must be tight, but not tonight.

Any last things that you wanna add?

SR: I just wanna say, I just got back from Deep Creek Lake and if you all ever go, stay at the Lake Star, man.

AC: I did a report on that lake when I was a little kid and it sounded tight, but I never went.

SR: It was tight. The slopes weren‰’t snowed out yet, though. It‰’s sort of puzzling that so many people go there when there really isn‰’t anything to do besides snowboard.

MG: Can you sit at the Lake and do lake stuff though?

SR: We canoed, that was cool, but it was so windy that we couldn‰’t go anywhere and had to lift the canoe and carry it until we said, “All right, fuck, I guess we‰’ll row again.‰” There are moments like that and you‰’re like “the sun‰’s gonna go down again and we‰’re gonna be fucked… again.‰Û

AC: And then you‰’re gonna have to hunt down a wild boar and eat it and shit.