This is Slow Pulp’s moment. At the end of September, the Chicago-by-way-of-Wisconsin band released its sophomore album, “Yard.” Brimming with ‘90s guitar riffs and catchy melodies, the record is nothing short of an artistic triumph. If anything, the album’s short but sharp collection of 10 tracks has solidified Slow Pulp as one of the best young bands in the country. It is clear Slow Pulp is here to stay.

“We just tried our best to make the best album we could,” said band leader, guitarist and songwriter Emily Massey. “That becomes the most important part and everything else is kind of the cherry on top.”

Although early iterations of some of the tracks on “Yard” began in 2020, Massey said the record began to take shape in the fall of 2021. After a student at the ballet school where she taught caught COVID in 2021, Massey took time away to begin working on the record at a family friend’s cabin in Wisconsin.

“I kind of thought it would be an attempt at a writing retreat, or just kind of be alone,” she recalled. “I felt like I hadn’t really, truly been alone ever in the way that I was. It was so jarring and very emotional and very visceral. I didn’t expect to feel as much as I did.”

Being alone helped her to open up with herself emotionally. With no one to hide from, including herself, she felt freer in the writing process. That initial trip soon turned into a series of trips to focus on her songwriting.

“I felt like I didn’t have this inner critic, and I was allowed to just be however I needed to be and not have to answer to anyone else or try to be a certain way,” she added. “Being away, I felt like I was able to learn how to trust myself and trust the process of continued failure until you get to the thing that feels right.”

Yet despite being alone and having time to reflect internally, Massey said many of the songs on “Yard” were not about herself. With other people absent from her life during that period of time, she turned outward, to the relationships and interpersonal dynamics that had shaped the last few years of her life.

“I think being alone made me just think about how lucky I am to be able to be comfortable in isolation because I know I have all these wonderful people that I can come home to or come back to,” she said. “And so I think the album’s really about them.”

Massey cited her relationship with her parents as particularly influential. After they were in a car accident in early March 2020, Massey moved back home to Madison, Wisconsin. Then the COVID-19 lockdown began, growing from a few weeks to many months.

Despite this change, Massey had an ample amount of time to create and work with her father, a musician. During that initial lockdown, Slow Pulp was finishing their first record. The experience, she said, helped strengthen their relationship. She replicated that experience again during the creation of “Yard,” with her father putting his life on hold for about a month to work on the record.

“I think I took a lot of positivity out of it because things could have gone differently for my family, and they didn’t,” explained Massey. “It really brought my family a lot closer together, and my friendships really strengthened at that time, too. There are a lot of positives that came out of this kind of darkness.”

In a year filled with incredible new releases from Chicago musicians, “Yard,” just might be the year’s best. Dreamy and nostalgic, this 31-minute indie wonder goes above and beyond many of the high expectations set by the group’s 2020 debut album. “Yard” is charming and relatable, with earworm hooks and crisp melodies. (There’s no way you’ll be able to get “Slugs” out of your head after one spin.) For most listeners and for this critic, “Yard” is an instant classic.

It’s no surprise then that the group has amassed a relatively large following around the country. During our recent interview, band leader and songwriter Massey spoke by phone on the road in Washington, D.C. Slow Pulp (which also includes Henry Stoehr, Teddy Mathews and Alex Leeds) is currently in the middle of their first major tour in support of a new album, with more than half of the show dates fully sold out.

There’s just something about the group’s music that resonates with listeners both young and old(er). Songs like “Cramps” and “Yard” sound as if they were crafted to be the soundtrack to one’s life, framing moments of joy, heartbreak and awe with a potent intelligence.

“We weren’t sure if people were going to know the new songs, but we’ve been shocked like every night. People have been really responsive or singing along, and it’s just been really, really lovely,” Massey said. “We feel really, really lucky.”

Slow Pulp with Babehoven at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.; http://thaliahallchicago.com

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.