Sofie Royer - before/after

Viennese musician Sofie Royer has gone from lo-fi bedroom producer to a genuine pop artist who has opened for Lana Del Rey, Air, and LCD Soundsystem, yet she still is not sure where she fits. before/after, her fourth album for Stones Throw, turns that uncertainty into her sharpest, funniest record yet.

Co-produced with Matt Cohn, Jorgen Odegard, and Eli Hirsch, the twelve songs are more polished and complex than anything she has made, weaving self-excavation with cultural commentary. Royer describes herself as too pop for the art world and too indie darling for the mainstream, and tracks like "Cowboy Mouth," "Sold out the jazz club," and "Nights in white jackets" make that in-between space sound glamorous.

At its heart is a battle between who we were and who we will be, and Royer's conclusion is that it is always you versus you.

Pressed on vinyl in a tip-on jacket with a printed inner sleeve, out October 16 on Stones Throw.