While its name may evoke a chain of convenience stores, Earlimart is actually a nondescript California town. Aaron Espinoza's outfit may have had an equally nondescript genesis while he experimented and found his sound, but starting with 2003's Everyone Down Here, Espinoza dropped an early Pixies and Beck obsession and set about exploring quietly tuneful folk-rock that culminated in 2004's stunning Treble & Tremble.

In the ensuing years, the band went through turmoil both predictable and unforeseen: yet more lineup-shuffling, parting ways with their former label and, perhaps the biggest delay, Espinoza's bout with a major case of writer's block. The latter leads to Mentor Tormentor's increased collaboration with longtime cohort Ariana Murray, which ultimately is a strength of the record. The tone is nicely varied throughout, as Espinoza and Murray trade breathy harmonies and play it soft ("Answers and Questions")

and rockier ("Everybody Knows Everybody"). Murray even steals the spotlight on her lead vocal turn, "Happy Alone," a poppy highlight that carries more than a bit of Espinoza's pal Elliott Smith's influence. Normally a 15-track record like Mentor would contain a healthy amount of filler, but that's really not the case here. Turmoil aside, Espinoza and his band have overcome the difficulties and delivered a tuneful, diverse and at times quietly devastating record that more than makes up for their extended grace period.