Kevin Bronson on July 25th, 2016

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When they weren’t masterminding June’s inaugural Sunstock Solar Festival, the Trapdoor Social braintrust of Skylar Funk and Merritt Graves have been busy making music. The L.A. quintet, hatched after its principals met studying environmental analysis at Pomona College, displayed a knack for buoyant indie-pop on their first two EPs, including 2014’s “Science of Love.” Their forthcoming full-length, though, ratchets up the guitars, sharpens the hooks and leaves in place the infectious energy that often sees Funk romping through the crowd at live shows while doing saxophone solos.

The first single from the album — Trapdoor’s first new music since the big band collaboration “Fine on My Own” (which also appears on the new release) — is, not surprisingly, also solar-themed. Except this “Sunshine” is of the metaphorical kind. Is darkness visiting your life? “Gotta fill it up with sunshine / gotta make up your mind / Get on with your life,” Funk sings in the big chorus, which was penned by Graves. “The verses are a brooding, melancholy meditation on unrequited love,” the band explains, “while its chorus launches into an almost naive proclamation about filling up the void with sunshine. The song’s theme is one of embracing contrast and using loss as a catalyst to move beyond the ordinary.” No sunblock needed here. The album is out Aug. 12.

||| Stream: “Sunshine”