On their first album in six years -- and their first for the Alcopop! label -- Bo Ningen continue the feeling of change with a complete reinvention. Instead of the overpoweringly dense mix of psych, Krautrock, and garage rock of their earlier work, on Sudden Fictions they strip back to an almost shocking degree. The skeletal beat on the striking opener "You Make a Mark Like a Calf Branding" underscores just how much space surrounds every element of the song, from Taigen Kawabe's murmured vocals to the lilting keyboard melody that seems to come out of nowhere. This surprising spaciousness lets Bo Ningen explore even more restlessly than before, but as they try out new textures and dynamics on Sudden Fictions, they hold on to their ability to transfix listeners with their music. Several songs dwell in the liminal space between shoegaze and psych-rock: The shifting layers of vocals and guitars on "AKA" have a trippy mystery that's very different than Bo Ningen's previous kind of psychedelia, while the warping tones and flowing vocals of "Silenced" are equally sensual and surreal. The band go farther afield by edging towards the mainstream with "Minimal," a foray into grooving dance-rock that features vocals by Bobby Gillespie and production by Matthew Herbert and delivers the album's most connected and kinetic moment. Elsewhere, Bo Ningen prove they still know how to build their music to towering heights on the brash, no wave-indebted "Zankoku" and "Riff," which evoke Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead as well as their own roots in improvisation. Perhaps more impressively, Sudden Fictions' quiet songs never feel tame or restrained. The contemplative energy of tracks such as "Kyutai"'s drifting dream pop and "Kuzurenai"'s vaporous electro ballad feels just as thrilling as when the band cranked up the volume in the past. Since the beginning, Bo Ningen have been dedicated to experimentation, and Sudden Fictions' previously unimaginable sounds prove their edge hasn't dulled a bit.