Prominent indie rock band Modest Mouse, known for their perfectly scruffy vocals and matching instrumentals, released their first album in 1993. However, they didn’t break broader, more memorable radio streams until their 2004 album, “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” with the hit song “Float On.”

The song “Bury Me with It” is a song full of pleads to be buried among things like a tattered suit, under-compensated wages, and free time. Modest Mouse wove the title of the album directly into the bridge lyrics of the song. It is the only set of lyrics that are sung compared to the disgruntled yet rhythmically spoken verses and bitterly yelled chorus.

Throughout the entire album, the vocals are sung, or often yelled, in a frustrated manner that some listeners might find harsh on the ears. The lyrics, too, are coarse in their own way, teeming with cynicism, frequent existential questioning, and longing for meaning outside of the inevitable ending: death.

The dreadful theme layered on top of casual indie rock instruments fits perfectly with student moods around midterm season, coupled with the fervor of Maine’s quickening descent into the colder months.

However, “Good News for People Who Love Bad News” is not entirely despairing: “Float On” feels like an inhale and exhale of breath, a relaxing thought that maybe things will turn out alright in the end. Compared to “Satin in a Coffin” and “The World at Large,” which together describe the world as nothing more meaningful than a coffin, “Float On” feels like the moment you put on a pair of half-broken rose-tinted shades.

Listeners may not connect with the rugged and downtrodden themes of Modest Mouse’s lyrics, but regardless, the softer percussion, notable guitar riffs, and occasional horns have become a unique staple to the early days of the modern indie rock genre. The album blends smoothly with the increasingly dreary time of year, so there is no better opportunity to check out “Good News for People Who Like Bad News!”