Launched in early 2020, Southern California three-piece Move Like Creatures defied the odds, transcending the loneliness and isolation of lockdown to find each other in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It felt like magic the first time we all got together,” says frontwoman Nancy Bombard. “We were an instant family.” Take a listen to Space Case, the band’s exhilarating debut, and you’ll start to feel like part of the family, too. Recorded with producer/engineer Ethan Kaufmann (Ryan Cabrera, Avril Lavigne), the EP is deceptively bright, fueled by addictive hooks and an infectious charm that belies the collection’s often-weighty subject matter. Bombard’s lyrics are raw and vulnerable, grappling openly with loss, insecurity, and mental health, and her bandmates—drummer Melissa Koziel and guitarist Ryan Reynolds—deliver similarly confident, captivating performances, mixing pop sheen and rock and roll grit with immersive electronic flourishes and streaks of punk defiance. The result is a sound that’s at once intimate and anthemic, a bold, bittersweet debut that hints at everything from Hayley Williams and Liz Phair to Gwen Stefani and Olivia Rodrigo as it reminds us that no matter how dark or desperate things may seem, we’re never truly alone in this world.