Ty Segall has a restless musical mind that makes him hard to pin down. Apart from his bread-and-butter, amped-up, and unhinged garage punk, he's liable to pop up playing heavy metal, synth pop, folk/rock, or even make a record that's only percussion, like 2024's Love Rudiments. Possession is something a little different than anything this sonic chameleon has made yet, even as it contains many elements of his core sound, like overdriven guitars and hearty vocals. The main thing that sets the record apart is the river of steady confidence that runs through the music like iron bars. Segall and his band of collaborators don't rush things, they play with tightly wound restraint most of the time, which makes it even more exciting when they burst out in lightning-bright flashes of noise. The record is built around a base of acoustic guitars strumming out the rhythm, electric guitars slashing across the bow, bass and drums providing a solid foundation, and Segall flying over the top with his best Bolan croon. If that doesn't sound very innovative, the first song "Shoplifter" quickly makes clear that there is something strange and wonderful happening. After the first verse, a full string section breaks over the top of the song like the sun overpowering a bank of clouds, followed by lush piano tinkling, richly stacked backing vocals, and some dueling saxophones. It's A+ chamber rock, mixed and arranged to near perfection. Every song sports multiple hooks, whether they're the Bowie-esque horns on the title track, the strutting glam riffs of "Buildings," the slinky soft rock electric piano that makes "Fantastic Tomb" a treat, or the tricky interplay between strings, keys, and guitars on "Hotel," that shows all the psychedelic pretenders what a headswirl really feels like. Segall's use of strings on the album is very interesting; instead of smoothing things out, they give the music another level of shading that really makes the songs come to life. The lyrics are given a twist by the appearance of filmmaker and friend Matt Yoka, who collaborates with Segall on a set of poetic, slightly sinister songs that really capture the mood and meaning of life in America during the first half of the 2020s. All the elements, and the skillful way they're slotted together work to make Possession the kind of album that unveils new delights on each spin. Segall has made records as big and bright as this, he's taken chances as dramatic, and rocked as excitingly; he's just never made one as assured and focused as Possession. It wouldn't be right to say that everything he's done up to this point was leading to this one particular album, but it also doesn't seem all that wrong, either. It's definitely a milestone and a career highlight, as well as a release that anyone who likes real, live breathing and bleeding rock & roll should enjoy.