JUST MUSTARD WE WERE JUST HERE (Partisan/Mushroom) — Just Mustard’s third album, WE WERE JUST HERE, comes in like a haunted, howling wind. The Irish band delivers experimental pop that involves manipulating guitar sounds with modulation and reverb into a sonic wall of inside-out shoegaze. The material comes across as grimly blissed out, or maybe some other delightfully disorienting contradiction. “Endless Death” is part of the answer key to why that is: the sweetness of the Katie Ball’s vocals contrasts mightily and effectively with the portent of the music. It often feels as if Just Mustard is holding back a deluge, letting it out here and there, as when “That I Might See” surges forward. Mostly, the album is a constellation of invention. “Dreamer” is slithery and tart, “We Were Just Here” is a grand slab of thrumming disco, and “Out of Heaven” sounds like something out of a goth opera about a giant robot coming to life. The particular brand of creative restlessness felt by Just Mustard evidently compels them to absolute fill their spaces with sound. That’s an impulse that benefits all. Circle back to the following tracks: “Pollyana,” “Somewhere,” and “Dandelion.”

SNOCAPS Snocaps (Anti-) — The self-titled album Snocaps was a surprise release, but no one should be shocked that Katie Crutchfield had a hankering for a quick collaboration. Between the exemplary 2020 effort Saint Cloud and its acclaimed follow-up, Tigers Blood, Ms. A.K.A. Waxhatchee teamed with Jess Williamson to record the first-rate album I Walked with You a Ways under the name Plains. From the jump, Plains was said to be a one-off, and that’s the official line on Snocaps, too. As with Plains, the restraint is admirable and a damn shame. There’s always room in the record racks for more music that’s this good. Snocaps is primarily a teaming between Katie and her sister, Allison Crutchfield, with MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook filling out the roster. Fittingly the album feels like a artful mishmash of what these performers do well separately: some rock here, some alt country there, a whole lot of smarts and cool everywhere. When the tangy, twangy “Brand New City” calls to mind the Jayhawks in their prime, it unlocks the notion that maybe Golden Smog, the collective of y’allternative royalty that include more that one Jayhawk through the years is the most apt comparison. Like Golden Smog, Snocaps allow themselves to bound just about anywhere, as long as the song is catchy and good. “Coast” is reminiscent of the easygoing, rich guitar rock of Juliana Hatfield, “Doom” is deliberate, dark, and thoughtful, and “Over Our Heads” is brightly poppy. The understated “I Don’t Want To” could be the centerpiece to a weary jamboree staged in a dusty attic criss-crossed by sunbeams. Everyone involved promises that Snocaps isn’t built to last. That’s no reason to refrain from calling out for more. Enjoy the sweetness of these cuts: “Heathcliff,” “Avalanche,” “Angel Wings,” and “You in Rehab.”

THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS Again (Third Man) — Moving over to Jack White’s Third man label for their sophomore album, aptly named Again, the Australian group the Belair Lip Bombs are probably feeling some pressure to declare themselves a major act. If so, the strain doesn’t show up in the grooves. Everything here practically shimmers into life like a genie sprung from a lamp. “Again and Again” has a neo-psychedelic whirl, like Bangles never drifted away from the Paisley Underground as they buffed up their commercial bonafides. Their ease doesn’t mean there’s a laxness to the songs. The jabbing, energetic “Another World” proves that well enough. There’s also “Hey You,” which has burbling synths and a driving pace, like early New Order if they were a little more chipper. The quartet locks in together on track after track. The Belair Lip Bombs make sharp pop-rock sound easy. Take a minute and sit right there with these tracks: “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair),” “If You’ve Got the Time,” and “Burning Up.”