You can’t be cute forever. At worst, the world grinds you into bitterness. At best (and much preferable), you grow up a little bit. Such is the case with Brooklyn’s Hospitality. Reviews of their 2011 self-titled debut were littered with such descriptors as “twee,” “sugar rush,” or just plain “cute” and likened the album to a journal of post-undergrad life set to an indie-rock beat. Such an approach is hard to pull off without being eye-rolling cloying, and as a result, Hospitality’s second record has a touch task in avoiding the sophomore slump. Luckily the band is up it on the resulting album, Trouble (Merge Records).

The pursuit of maturity tends to trip up even the most adept band. Smiles are turned into stern looks, grand statements are issues, and generally, string sections are employed. Thankfully, Trouble doesn’t fall into any of these traps. The tempos are slower, the vibe is a bit moody, and the tales are a touch more lived in. As a result, it’s nearly everything you loved from the first, just slightly recast. Another carryover from the debut is the polished, yet loose, feel of the performances. There is a point in “Last Words” were a guitar solo seems to go entirely off the rails. It’s a charmingly spontaneous moment that reflects the overall tone of the record.

Musically, Trouble is like a cross of the quieter moments of Belly’s first album, King, and The XX, along with a “small g” gothic feel. There are up-tempo cuts, but the focus seems to be more on letting the songs breath. And while the album is predominately built around guitar, bass, and drums, there is some nice subtle use of electronics to sweeten the mix. Overall, the album feels like a band in the room. It’s a small-scale epic that’s contrasted with the everyman tales of unrequited love and relationship aftermath. Hospitality’s Trouble shows that growing up is not so bad and maturity doesn’t have to come in pleated slacks.