Kevin Bronson on July 19th, 2018

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Mystic Braves are one of the bands who’ve turned the cobblestone streets of 1960s psych-pop into a scenic highway. The L.A. quintet might have seemed another quaint revivalist when they released their debut album in 2012, but by refining their craft and imbuing their songs with a strong sense of candor, and even vulnerability, you forget that stylistically theirs is a road well-traveled.

“Under Control” is the lead track on Mystic Braves’ fourth album, “The Great Unknown,” out Aug. 17 via Lolipop Records. It was made with producer Kyle Mullarky (The Growlers, Allah-Las) at his studio in Topanga Canyon and at Lolipop’s new compound in Boyle Heights. The band initially sought Mullarky’s expertise “to help shape the songs creatively,” singer-guitarist Julian Ducatenzeiler said, “but he ended up being so great to work with that we just stuck with him.” So after making “between 30 and 40 demos” with Mullarky, the band spent long sessions at Lolipop, “all living together, writing, recording, grilling, drinking too much tequila and coffee,” Ducatenzeiler says, adding some of the results were “a little experimental — some of the songs came out sort of country and some were super funky, almost like James Brown.”

While most of “The Great Unknown” throws back to greats such as the Seeds, the Zombies and the Kinks, the tone is personal. “A lot of this record comes from a breakup,” Ducatenzeiler says. “It deals with the end of past relationships, with knowing that things should end, and figuring out how to cope with the loss.”

||| Stream: “Under Control”

||| Live: Mystic Braves play the Teragram Ballroom on Aug. 17, along with the Creation Factory and the Pesos. Tickets. They also play ug. 25 at Pappy & Harriet’s. Tickets.