On the heels of one very well-received album (2010’s Twin-Hand Movement) and one killer 7″ for Sub Pop (2011’s “Deer Knives”/”Tangiers”), Baltimore’s Lower Dens return with a new full length and a heavy theme. The band’s forthcoming release, Nootropics, is said center on the ways in which technology could be used to expand human capabilities.

Hmm…Well…Ok, I’ll bite. Indie rock has a solid history of human/machine concept albums (See Radiohead’s OK Computer and Grandaddy’s Sophtware Slump) and judging by the first single, “Brains,” the inclusion of more electronic music elements, like motorik rhythms, into their custom blend of shoegaze and dream pop is a step forward for the five-piece.

MP3: Lower Dens – Brains

Nootropics, the latest album from Lower Dens, will be released May 1st on Ribbon Music.