Montreal’s knitting navigate growing pains on their debut LP, Some Kind of Heaven. In a hushed voice reminiscent of Elliott Smith, singer Mischa Dempsey ruminates on endings, adolescence, self-understanding, and feeling out of place, often through the lens of their non-binary identity.

At times, Some Kind of Heaven’s toasted grunge-pop tracks move in a dreamy flow. Mostly, though, they are coiled taut with tension as Dempsey wrestles with their anxiety. When the quartet finally releases this tension, the catharsis is all the more powerful. “A New Complaint” builds to a grand instrumental crescendo in its closing moments, while “Sleeper” alternates between lulling acoustic melodies and heavy electric guitar riffs.

The album’s most poignant moment arrives on “College Rock Song #1.” Among reflections about bands breaking up and the last days of summer, Dempsey sings, “Homesick is a kind of home,” a reminder that there is comfort in the familiar, sometimes even if the familiar is uncomfortable. The sentiment provides a glimmer of excitement; while endings are often difficult, they also offer opportunities for a fresh start. For Knitting, Some Kind of Heaven is only the beginning of a brighter future.