Local indie rock quartet Cosmonautical indulges its (relatively) heavy side on debut EP “Quit Using Humanity as an Excuse.”

Singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist and sole constant member David von Schlegell has a penchant for hooky, ’90s-esque alt-rock, as anyone who’s seen the frequent open mic night performer knows. Cosmonautical brings more muscle to the songs, but even in this setting it’s the melodies that stand out.

All that’s still here on these five tunes, starting with opener “Brave New World,” perhaps the strongest track here. The song sets a tongue-in-cheek lyric to an explosive chorus, propelled by von Schlegell and lead guitarist David Gillespie’s interlocking melodies. “Goddamn Machines” is another winner, with dark verses giving way to a stuttering, carnival-music jam to close the song.

That said, this doesn’t sound like any version of Cosmonautical that’s played around town the last few years (and there have been several). The guitar work in particular is chunkier than usual, like something out of 1996 rather than 2016.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Brave New World” and the title track in particular benefit from the thick production and fuzzy guitars. Former bassist Joshua Hernandez and drummer Paterson Colson, while a bit low in the mix, keep the songs grounded and add melodic dimension to the thundering chords.

Cosmonautical — with new bassist Ryan Lucas — plays a free CD release show at 9 p.m. Friday at The Capitol.

— Brian McElhiney, The Bulletin