Alex Ebert announced what he is calling his most expansive album yet. Ebert’s sophomore album, “I vs. I,” will be released Jan. 31 via Community Music & AWAL.

“The eclectic collection of songs is a sprawling examination of existence tackling subjects that pre-occupy mankind, from love and sex (Her Love, Fluid) to the passage of time and the chase for eternal youth (Automatic Youth),” Ebert said in a press statement.

On “I vs. I”, Ebert crafts a story about “personal futurism” via the creation of an anti-hero moving through an increasingly unfamiliar world.

The album “tells the story of a cavalier attitude towards a partner, a break-up, the distress of the break-up, the anger and exploration, the contemplation of death, the coming back into the fold of the party, and the eventual finding of love again,” Ebert said.

“It describes the past three years of my life. It’s almost a concept album in how linear the story is actually told.”

In recent weeks, Ebert has released several videos from the forthcoming album. The latest release to drop is the lead single, Stronger, which is described as a jazzy track that explores the highs and lows of a relationship amid handclaps, whistling and Ebert’s high register.

In its Editor’s Picks, Atwood Magazine describes Stronger as a “fun, if not slightly melancholic embrace of those who lift us up, and make us better people.”

“And while Ebert may not be a household name just yet, a quick reference to his other bands (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros & Ima Robot) help us show just how far he has come, both as a singer and a songwriter, over the past decade. Debuting at the top of the year as a sneak peak off Ebert’s new solo album I vs I, ‘Stronger’ is sweet and sunny – a delightfully enchanting indie pop ode from a heart full of love.”

“You make me realize our hearts can change,” Ebert sings. “You make me synthesize harmony from pain. Oh, you’re making me stronger; oh, you’re making me work.”

“Any good love – let’s be honest, any true love – takes lots of care, attention, dedication, and work.” Atwood Magazine’s Mitch Mosk writes. “With this song, Ebert is capturing not so much the weight of that effort, but rather the beauty of its payout.”