San Diego’s Tide Pools — also known as Dustin Illingworth — will drop his eagerly awaited debut album, Grief is a Wilderness, this week.

The devastating but ultimately cathartic Grief is a Wilderness is one of the most emotionally potent releases to come out of San Diego in years. The titular grief stems from the accidental 2010 death of Illingworth’s girlfriend, and the album details the grieving process with startling insight and clarity. Songs like “It Seems to Me You’re Floating” and the title track find Illingworth laying his emotions bare over frantically strummed guitar, and his candid lyrics make for a captivating, moving experience.

“The process of writing the songs was very difficult just from an emotional standpoint,” Illingworth said in a recent interview with CityBeat. “The descriptions in the songs [were] particularly difficult, because my memories of that day are very vivid.”

To celebrate the release of Grief is a Wilderness, Tide Pools will headline a special CD release show at Luce Loft this Thursday, May 23. Presented by Sezio, the show will also feature a performance by fellow locals Kalashnikov My Wife.

Seeing such powerful material performed in an intimate venue like Luce Loft should make for an unforgettable experience, so don’t miss out. Tickets for the all-ages show can be purchased here. For a taste of what to expect, check out the live video for “Grief is a Wilderness” above.