Yo La Tengo's seventeenth album arrives as the Hoboken trio enters their fourth decade, yet This Stupid World sounds neither complacent nor desperate for relevance. The ten tracks navigate their familiar terrain with hard-won wisdom, balancing noise and nuance as Ira Kaplan's guitar alternates between gentle caress and serrated edge.

Produced with Tom Schick at Marcata Recording, the album confirms what three decades of consistent lineups prove: Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew have perfected the art of making maturity sound thrilling rather than safe.