Beulah’s Yoko is a charming blend of tender, touching melodies and upbeat, sharper-edged songs with cruel lyrics. The San Francisco indie-popers recorded their fourth release in the same year that four members of the band ended their relationships with their significant others, which accounts for the bittersweet undertone. Most tunes combine a prominent piano base with brisk but gentle guitar chords, laid-back drums, melancholy vocals and additional complementary noises, including a lamenting trumpet and a jovial banjo.

Beulah’s catchy indie pop is irresistible and the sunny harmonies nicely contrast with the ironically threatening assertions, such as “You fooled with the wrong guy” or “Last night’s a loaded gun/ You better hope that the world won’t end tonight.” Despite the fact that their introspective look at love at times seems a bit too sugary — and it certainly isn’t something you can rock out to — Beulah manages to contrive a surprisingly appealing sound that is further enhanced by the hauntingly moody atmosphere it evokes.

Beulah will be playing at the Casbah on May 15 at 8:30 p.m.