With all of the negativity and awful news that seemingly surround our everyday lives, it’s sometimes hard to remember there are good things woven into all of the shit. It’s not always easy finding the bright side or even some hidden gems when things seem to be at their bleakest, but seeking those things can soothe a lot of woes.

OK, that’s maybe a little much, but we can find things to make us happy while we dread the future. Like the new two-track EP from the reunited Pelican that’s their first new music in five years. Yes, I know Pelican never went away, but it hasn’t operated under its original lineup since 2012, that being guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec (who has returned to the fold), bassist Bryan Herweg, and drummer Larry Herweg. Yet that configuration returns here, and they also have a full record in their future that also gives us reason to be excited. These two tracks from this session provides but a small sip, but it’s a flavorful, exciting one that feels like slipping back into a familiar place, excited to see these surroundings once again.

“Adrift” stars with guitars slurring, the leads bathing in light as the bass begins to chug. Melodies glimmer as the playing goes from soaring to meatier, pummeling as the tempo sinks into your blood, settling in the atmosphere, basking in the clouds. In fact, the waning moments of the record kind of remind me of the cover art. “Tending the Embers” is the final track, trudging as the guitars slide, the playing tangling and then burning brightly. Guitars thicken as the melodies slink, the energy pulsating as the skies grow darker and more foreboding. Light finally sheds as the leads get your blood racing, the other elements flow and sting, and everything swells into the ground before coming to a rumbling end.

It might be a mere two songs, but it’s a hint of what’s ahead for Pelican, and it reunites their original lineup for the first time in more than a decade. This “Adrift / Tending the Embers” EP is a promising glimpse of their forthcoming next album, a snack-size portion of new music that gives hope for what’s ahead and energizes us in the present. It’s a new dawn for Pelican, and I’m excited to hear what this reformed version of the band has in store for us.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pelicansong

To buy the album, go here: https://pelican.bandcamp.com/album/adrift-tending-the-embers