Last year, I had the chance to interview Megafaun drummer Joe Westerlund, who was pretty excited about the sonic direction his band was taking. At the time (April 2010), the band was preparing to release the six-song EP Heretofore while looking ahead to recording material for their second full-length.

“Mostly I think we’re getting more comfortable stripping things down and just writing more straightforward songs,” Westerlund said. “And at the same time, we’re writing other things that are taking things further out into experimental territory.”

That last sentiment is proving to be somewhat prophetic after listening to “These Words,” the first single from the forthcoming self-titled LP due out Sept. 20 on Hometapes. These guys are really taking studio improvisation/experimentation into chaotic directions, where songs are deconstructed and built back up into something beautiful. The first listen to “These Words” almost felt unnerving in spots – it’s a challenging/rewarding experience.

The track features looped field recordings Westerlund gathered from his travels in Bali and rural North Carolina: frogs and cicadas, to name a couple.

Here’s an album teaser video: