“So now I am older / than my mother and father / when they had their daughter / now what does that say about me?”

The opening lines to Fleet Foxes’ new album, Helplessness Blues, see front-man Robin Pecknold ask a question, and it’s not the only one. The Seattle band’s second album is a record full of questions, asked by the singer, and concern a struggle to understand his place in life.

The album is littered with lyrics regarding this struggle, such as the opening lines to the title track:

“I was raised up believing I was somehow unique /Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see / And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be / A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me”

However, this introspective lyrical approach does nothing but add to the beautiful music Fleet Foxes have created. Wonderful harmonies compliment intricate melodies creating the type of record that is destined to be played at a high volume from gardens and balconies across the country this summer.

What this record says about you Robin Pecknold, is that you are a part of an extremely talented band who will put smiles on many people’s faces. You are that functioning cog serving something beyond you.