Coming off their 2017 debut Wind Instrument, Kali Masi's sophomore record Laughs is more than a collection of songs - it's a lifeline. Driving straight through the brick walls of often difficult subjects like emotional abuse, tense friendships and feeling comfortable in misery, the Chicago punks deliver poignant and empowering anthems of identity and self. This isn't a record of nostalgia - it's a record of the present. It's a record for reflecting on where you've landed, how you got there and where to go next. Laughs is an album urgently striving for self-awareness and presence, and for everybody listening doing the same. It's recognizing you are not what others make of you - only what you make of yourself.