Pitchfork calls the lyric-forward, New York-based indie rock band Trace Mountains, “a decisive step forward” for its lead singer-songwriter Dave Benton (formerly of LVL UP). Benton’s sprawling and introspective tunes borrow flavor from a host of contemporary indie giants—the sad laments of Phil Elverum, the antic invention of Dinosaur Jr., the delicate jangle of Sufjan Stevens—while still managing to maintain his own original and innovative voice. Trace Mountains’ latest LP, 2021’s House of Confusion, finds the combo exploring a metaphoric backroad of rural American isolation.