Living in the Northeast United States can really mess with you. Sure it’s a liberal, heathen paradise, but at what cost? For Safety, they forked over their Floridian ska(te) punk sound and embraced the Brooklyn sad punk lifestyle. What is the benefit of this, besides an extraordinary increase in quality of pizza?

Congratulate Me, I’ve Lost My Mind is the first release since 2012’s Night Lights, making yet another giant leap musically. The shifts over the past decade or so have gone from some of the best fast, catchy ska punk and skate punk I’ve heard, to a pop-rock-punk mix, and, now, to full on melodic indie punk. The initial hit of “The Shadow Over Brooklyn” has a Small Brown Bike feel to it, the most aggressive track, acting as a bridge from past to present. And the present wastes no time.

The EP submerges itself in indie rock with emo sensibilities. When singing for these styles, but sticking with a punk background, there is a similarity to Hostage Calm and Ambitions. Things pick up steam at the midway point, “Final Cosmic Flash” is well structured and balanced between tempos that bleed into “Ultraviolet Light” slowing down to a twinkle you can astral project to. The song eventually intensifies to indie rocking and a line in the chorus, “hiding our secrets in plain sight,” particularly reinforces the title and theme of the track.

Safety even offers up some pretty nice, clean harmonies on “Derealized,” changing up big riffs with delicate bridges, and it’s then you understand the effort and attention put into Congratulate Me, I’ve Lost My Mind. There are certain nuances you can’t get by strictly playing punk, there is more variance by using an indie platform, and it’s a joy to hear Safety play around with that and accomplished the sound they were searching for. Fine, I’m won over. Yes, I’ll never forget the ska punk aspect and always hold that dear, but if the band is going to make a radical shift, at least they’re doing it right.