It’s a question asked — in one way or another — by anyone who allows him or herself to dig deeper into their own existence than the simple day-to-day drudgery that seems to fuel our society. “I want to know it and sing it from my soul,” answers Dan Lotti in the opening moments of Dangermuffin’s transformative fifth album, Songs for the Universe. From those first questions in “Ancient Golden Star” — a song inspired by a Cherokee creation myth — it’s clear that this Folly Beach-based trio has matured even further in their musical craftsmanship.

Taken at face value, the album’s 17 tracks can still energize a backyard campfire or an early morning jog, just as Dangermuffin always has over their eight-year career. But listen closely to Lotti’s words, and you’ll discover another world of stones unturned and long-hidden truths. Archetypes of the sea, the sun and the Phoenix are prevalent throughout the collection (very nearly a concept album) that plays like a sacred scroll of sage wisdom set to the laid-back roots-based sounds they’ve built their national following upon.

Like the secret chord in Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” that “pleased the Lord,” utilizing ancient frequencies lets Dangermuffin seek vibrations that affect the body beyond the eardrums. “In the record, you can hear pitch shifts where we work with sound healing and frequencies that are harmonious with the human body,” says Lotti. On the album’s cover, the band’s ubiquitous muffin vibrates like a star in space, surrounded by the 17 archetypes present throughout the songs (a zia for “Lady of Fire,” a serpent for “Snakecharmer”).

Recorded at Charleston, S.C.’s Truphonic Studios, the album contains the influence of Appalachia but still maintains the salty vibes of the Carolina coast, perhaps best heard in “Little Douglas,” a lighthearted song about ‘herbal’ enlightenment that features Keller Williams on bass and backing vocals.