What does it all mean? “All,” meaning life, the universe, and everything. It’s the question to end all questions—and one that can drive a person mad. Andrew Grossman—the bandleader, lead vocalist, and guitarist for D.C. experimental pop ensemble The North Country—knows this. That isn’t to say he knows the answer to life, the universe, and everything, just that it’s a fool’s errand to try and make sense of it all. 

Grossman’s cosmic curiosity is what drives The North Country’s shimmering, otherworldly sounds on “E-Meditation (Forever, Forever),” the band’s first single from their forthcoming full-length album In Defense of Cosmic Altruism. Light years and microns are one in the same in the music video for the band’s dense and breezy song, which depicts the size of the universe as vast as a single atom on a person’s skin. 

Joined by a ensemble of D.C. music veterans—including but not limited to members of Brushes, BRNDA, Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists, and Near Northeast—Grossman explores songwriting in a spaced-out, psychedelic way, pushing the boundaries of instrumentation with his ensemble. The result is a song that can calm even the most existential crisis. 

In Defense of Cosmic Altruism releases on September 29. The band’s next performance is Aug. 15 at Smith Public Trust.