LA LUZ News of the Universe (Sub Pop) — There’s a lot of disruption shading News of the Universe, the fifth album by La Luz. Some of the change is presumably positive: It’s La Luz’s first album under a new pact with Sub Pop and features the introduction of Audrey Johnson as the band’s drummer. At the same time, the album is said to be the last for keyboardist Alice Sandahl and bassist Lena Simon, leaving frontwoman Shana Cleveland, long the main creative force behind the band, as the sole original member. What’s more, Cleveland wrote this new set of songs while contending with life-flipping experiences away from the band, including new motherhood and a devastating cancer diagnosis. Accordingly, the album’s lyrics get into some dark territory, but the music is consistently bright and boisterous, as if Cleveland is counterbalancing her stresses through sheer force of tuneful will. The racing and riveting “Strange World” suggests Lush if they’d came into being about decade later, and “Close Your Eyes” is arresting newfangled indie soul. Much as La Luz defaults to up-tempo fare on News of the Universe, there also instances where they ease up on the gas pedal with fine results. The swoony, gentle pop of “Poppies” is a winning example of that. Whatever shake-ups have occurred, La Luz’s art remains satisfyingly steady. Take in these additional News-worthy tracks: “Dandelions,” “Always in Love,” “Blue Moth Cloud Shadow,” and the title cut.

GIRL AND GIRL Call a Doctor (Sub Pop) — Call a Doctor, the debut full-length from the Brisbane-based band Girl and Girl, appropriately opens with a track titled “Intro.” Against a restrained guitar part lead singer Kai James delivers a spoken-word depiction of anxiety, embodying a person desperate to get help for their deteriorating mental state. That goes straight into the title cut, which amps up the intensity as the character endures medical treatment and meta touches crowd into the lyrics: “And the cryptic riddled message reads/ ‘Don’t ignore your feelings, please’/ So, I’ll try my best to tell the truth/ And it only took till verse thirty-two,” and the album starts to feel like The Wall rebooted for Gen Z. If the confines of the concept ease up as the album proceeds, there’s still a prevailing unity to the set of songs. Call a Doctor inevitably calls up comparisons to other indie rock acts that specialized in genially abstract, expansive storytelling in their songcraft: “Oh Boy!” has the loosey-goosey rock ‘n’ roll of Parquet Courts, and the clear album standout “Our Love (Ours Only)” reverberates with the lean majesty and emotional assurance of vintage Bright Eyes. here’s definitely room for Girl and Girl to grow, but Call a Doctor is a respectable start. Call up the following cuts: “Hello,” “Suffocate,” and “You’ll Be Alright.”