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It’s quite the challenge to characterize the feeling of missing home and losing touch with the people associated with it. “Luster,” Maria Somerville’s sophomore album, charmingly works to put words and sounds to this emotion. With tracks that emulate soft embraces, soothing conversations, and begrudging introspections, Somerville extends beyond the ordinary and aspires to the musical embodiment of raw connection.

In this album inspired by her hometown of Connemara, Ireland, Somerville navigates understanding of her community and yearning for home with a mixture of dream pop and post-punk arrangements. With 12 tracks, altogether just shy of 39 minutes long, the progression of the album walks through the grief of losing a once-whole understanding of a hometown and its people.

The album’s dream pop arrangements do not disappoint. The opening track “Réalt” — with harp strings, no lyrics, and dynamic intensity — feels like falling into a magical dream state and exposing oneself to the vulnerability necessary for reconciling with what once was. In “Projections,” Somerville extends this with hushed vocal lines: “Too many stories, what I am, what I’m not / It’s not fair to do.” Somerville voices the flurry of emotions at the beginning of the journey and later emphasizes using imagination to combat loneliness. The more intense production in “Garden” packs more of a punch — isolated electric guitar strums at the end of the song strike a welcome contrast from the previous two tracks’ airy vocals and soft instrumentals.

Beyond silky-smooth vocals and dream pop production, “Luster” offers tracks that attempt to evoke emotions without lyrics. Some tracks are more successful at this than others. “Halo,” for example, while featuring vocals that are unintelligible, fares well in this pursuit and is a worthwhile addition to the album. The track is a plea for divine intervention — still featuring Somerville’s wispy vocals, yet largely focusing on the instrumentals that allow listeners to bask in a moment of tranquility. In “Flutter,” on the other hand, the introduction is similarly dreamy yet deviates 30 seconds in with strained, discordant violin sounds. While intriguing, the abrupt transition fails to produce a favorable effect, instead making the track seem out of place in an otherwise cohesive album.

“Stonefly” is a standout from the album, with Somerville taking the track in a different yet welcome direction by offering more than just hushed vocals with the introduction of a drum beat, accompanied by a peppier production reminiscent of a coming of age movie. The track feels like the acceptance of solitude not as punishment, but as an opportunity to reflect — continuing the themes of Somerville’s first studio album, “All My People.”

“Violet” continues to strengthen the second half of the album. In addition to a static noise underlining the track, Somerville’s more powerful vocals are a refreshing contrast to the whispers that make the album’s dream pop genre come to life. The departure from quiet vocals is a tasteful choice within the album — rather than play to one strength, it allows for a diverse listening experience that ties the album together. While the pauses between the short and relatively simple phrases — “Love is time / Time is love” — make for an unpleasantly slow momentum, the track’s unique sound has addictive qualities.

“Luster” feels like a second chance at discovering what it means to be at home and the implications of defining such a place, and Somerville’s talent is exalted in such a complex body of work. With layered vocals that soar both with and without lyrics, Somerville evokes a meandering sense of reflection, something that — in a world dominated by time — serves a great purpose.

—Staff writer Emily G. Fallas-Chacon can be reached at emily.fallas-chacon@thecrimson.com.