It’s official October, and even if you aren’t getting your best white-girl-pumpkin-spice vibe on, tis the season for all things spooky and surreal. The ever-amorphous yet always alluring prog-whatever outfit Professor Caffeine & The Insecurities have been cooking up a follow up EP to their debut album from last year (wait – it was already that long ago?) and “Gloomy Bois” is the third installment.

This particular track shows a heavier thrash focus, with guitar squeals and riffs that hearken back to my gateway experiences with heavy music through bands like Trivium and In Flames. While I may have largely outgrown this, there’s still something distantly nostalgic about it. Add in some layered vocals and even some spare screaming and you’ve got a track that’s polished, relentless, and fast. The band’s intricate piano lines have largely been swapped out for synth – which isn’t super easy to pick out, save for a bridge-type segment near the end. Lyrically, vocalist Dan Smith once again leans into his fascination with video games – particularly, Castlevania.

Of course, PC has never been known to stay in one place for long and their most recent singles all showcases different angles of the group. “Full Force” is anthemic and moody, riding the line between emo pop and arena rock alternative, with just a dash of mathcore thrown in for good measure. “The Ballad of Jumping Jeff Farmer” opts for an acoustic, folk-flavored base that’s largely devoid of the band’s typical chaos. So, if thrash isn’t your thing, don’t write of PC. Their sound is expansive and takes many forms. And if you’re looking to relive the mid-2000s metal scene, you’ll find “Gloomy Bois” manages to reinvigorate that sound without being derivative. Stay tuned for more news as the band unveils the rest of the EP.