For the better part of the past 12 years, Mikaiah Lei (Eskimo Kisses) of The Bots has spent his adolescence in the spotlight. The Bots released two studio albums, toured around the world, landed glossy magazine spreads, and performed live everywhere from Coachella to Glastonbury in that time. Lei was just 21 years old the last time The Bots put out an album, 2014’s Pink Palms. Now, after seven transformative years, Lei has a brand new outlook on life and himself — and he’s got the remarkable new album 2 Seater to show for it.

2 Seater is a massive evolution from the early days of The Bots. Back then, Mikaiah Lei spent most of his time channeling garage rock with his younger brother. Instead, this new album sees him putting a pop spin on his own creative indie rock flair. Drawing influence more from Talking Heads and Cocteau Twins than Black Flag or Minor Threat, these songs capture Lei’s natural ability to pen catchy melodies without sacrificing any of the raw guitar work that established The Bots as a force to be reckoned with.