AFI The Missing Man

A year after issuing their excellent tenth effort, AFI surprised fans with the release of their first EP in nearly two decades, The Missing Man (Ex Noctem Nacimur). The brisk five-song set serves as a sonic "greatest hits," tapping into the various styles that the band favored during the 2010s. Honoring their rollicking punk roots with "Trash Bat" and "Get Dark," Davey Havok and the boys also lean into their late-era new wave love with "Break Angels," while going full emo with the midtempo "Back Into the Sun." The soaring title track is an atmospheric epic that pairs perfectly with AFI's closer, "The Wind That Carries Me Away." As a stopgap between LP releases, The Missing Man is a step forward in AFI's adult evolution and another catalog highlight. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl