"Creeper," a newly released track from Islands' forthcoming sophomore release Arm's Way, doesn't actually sneak up at you at all. The subject matter is home invasions and bloody death, but the slick and immediate tune comes across like a less frantic outtake from a recent Of Montreal album. As opposed to the contents of a song by Kevin Barnes, when Nick Thornburn sings about being stabbed in the heart here I don't think the shiv is metaphorical. Thorburn's lyrics--be they Islands or Unicorns--have always had a strong infatuation with mortality. They've typically been much more accepting about the great beyond than this though. The prospect of being stabbed in your house by an intruder is tough to be zen about, I guess. You can dance to his dismemberment at least.

Photo by Rachel Carr