Changephobia, a term Rostam coined to surmise the feeling of wrestling with our ever-changing lives, is the ambient, glossy album we need to bring us into a bright summer. With the opening of movie theaters and concert halls, artistic spaces where talent is splattered in grand displays, the album is a calming and cohesive body of work, laced with optimism in anticipation for a more vibrant season of change.

It’s Rostam Batmanglij’s second solo album following 2017’s Half-Light and his departure from Vampire Weekend in 2016. And on the newest, he strays from the classical influences of his first and blends elements of jazz with pop-rock synthesizers to make for a stunning combination of sounds that feels both visceral and freeing.

The album begins with “These Kids We Know,” where he talks of governments and emperors and how the younger generations recognize their lack of regard for the planet or each other’s health. “You say we can’t afford the slow down/ But the skies won’t take it no more/ So we’re gonna slowly pull the earth back together,” he sings on the second verse, a poetic call for addressing our climate’s suffering. The track lacks any traditional structure, going from verse to verse, repeating and ending in an array of electric guitar and synthesizers.

“From the Back of a Cab” follows and tells of a seemingly ordinary cab ride that leaves an unexpected feeling of comfort and love between people. Its video features just that, clips of various friends and collaborators of Rostam, from Charli XCX to supermodel Kaia Gerber and the HAIM sisters (whose latest album, Women in Music Part III, Rostam produced and earned them a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year). They’re sitting in the back of a cab, riding around the streets of L.A.

Rostam noted a love he’s recently developed for jazz and uses pianos and baritone sax on most of the songs. These instruments begin appearing prominently on “Unfold You,” a sexual and charming love song. “I’ll unfold you/ Whenever you want to/ I’ll hold you,” he sings on the chorus, the songwriting sparse and choruses repeating. A sax appears paired with a piano and array of synthesizers to give it an elegant feel.

Then comes the album’s peak with “4Runner” detailing West Coast road trips and making love in backseats, or wherever else. It starts with an upbeat guitar strum and describes freedom, grabbing for your keys and looking to only the straight roads up the coast. “Take off a shift for me/ I’m waiting down the street/ Take all the time you want to come, come, come” he sings, painting imagery of sunset lit cliffsides and convertibles.

On another highlight, “Bio18,” jazz guides the entire track as piano riffs and hand drums combine. “What’s the emotion that keeps you in motion?” he asks, gracefully poetic. The track “Interlude” follows as a two-minute display of Rostam’s production skills. A combination of ambient, swirling sounds, they mix into a mid-tempo, choppy beat as he blends in more saxophone and glitchy noises. It’s both a calming and sensual vibe.

Changephobia concludes with the evanescent “Starlight,” feeling like a jazzy Parisian night. His voice quiet and gentle, with saxophone and light snapping joining to emit the feeling of standing under a star-splattered sky. “All of the windows are open/ A breeze comes through the room/ And carries me that gently/ Up to what’s the moon,” he sings longingly.

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