Alt-rock quartet Slightest Clue dive deep into grief, processing, and raw release on their new EP, Molly, out now alongside the searing focus track, “Cauterized.” A fusion of distorted guitars, post-punk urgency and shoegaze textures, the collection finds the band threading themes of endings and emotional reckoning through their most cohesive, hook-driven songs to date.

“Thematically it was inspired by [bassist/vocalist] Hannah [Kruse] and I’s mirrored experiences in closing of important relationships in our life and the processing of it,” says guitarist/vocalist Mac McLaren. “It contains fictional characters we wrote about as well as personal moments that process those feelings.”

At the forefront sits “Cauterized,” a song that embodies the EP’s spirit of wrestling with pain and ultimately letting it burn through you. “‘Cauterized’ takes from the idea of burning a wound closed because that was how things felt in the end,” says Mac. “Severing connections leaves a scar that forms you for the rest of your life.”