Nootropics, aka "smart drugs," improve our most crucial mental functions -- but so can music, especially when it worms its way through your brain the way Lower Dens' slow-burning grooves do. The band utilizes more synths than usual here, and the jams are just as hypnotizing: "Lion in Winter Pt. 1" is pure ambient drone, while tracks like "Brains" and "Stem" move at a krautrock pace, and the 12-minute closer oozes Doors-esque mystique. Throughout, Jana Hunter smokily purrs like Victoria Legrand of Beach House, whose sultry dream pop also informs songs like "Propagation" and "Nova Anthem."