The new album from the six-piece Welsh band Los Campesinos! No Blues begins with its usual sound of angst-filled lyrics with quick drums and poppy guitar slowly coming in the background until it takes over in a mishmash of yelling and rocking out. But after listening to it, the album obviously deviates from that past trend.

The fourth song on the album, “Cemetery Gaits,” begins this trend with a keyboard repetition with the energy of Two Door Cinema Club. Almost immediately, it is apparent the song that mixes these dance aspects with their original, more rock, sounds. The song intertwines the band’s classic sound with a positivity heard on singles from their last album such as “By Your Hand.” It works well towards the beginning of the song, but towards the middle the repeated melody is really just overdone.

Los Campesinos! is especially talented at adding and taking away different elements (ie. drums, guitar, and singing) to a song provide it’s distinct flair. This trait is exemplified towards the end of the album with the song “Avocado, Baby.” The song retains the sound of original Los Campesinos! songs like “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.” However, in the middle of the song, a Passion Pit-esque sound is added. The background singing sounds high pitched and almost childlike and the guitar moves to a higher pitch. The originally indie rock song morphs almost into an pop rock tune that keeps its roots. This mixture results in the highlight of the album.

This sound isn’t exactly new, but more of an amalgam of old ones. No Blues is a nice blend of pop sounds from the band’s first three albums, the maturity from its fourth album, and a newfound optimism that is refreshing from a band that often dwells on the darker things in life. The new album loses the raw emotion from the beginning, but Los Campesinos! traded that aspect for a much appreciated brightness. While this is a good trade on some songs, on others, like “The Time Before the Last Time,” it doesn’t quite work. No Blues may not be the best album Los Campesinos! has to offer, but it is definitely a nice addition to its repertoire.

The new album from the six-piece Welsh band Los Campesinos! No Blues begins with its usual sound of angst-filled lyrics with quick drums and poppy guitar slowly coming in the background until it takes over in a mishmash of yelling and rocking out. But after listening to it, the album obviously deviates from that past trend.

The fourth song on the album, “Cemetery Gaits,” begins this trend with a keyboard repetition with the energy of Two Door Cinema Club. Almost immediately, it is apparent the song that mixes these dance aspects with their original, more rock, sounds. The song intertwines the band’s classic sound with a positivity heard on singles from their last album such as “By Your Hand.” It works well towards the beginning of the song, but towards the middle the repeated melody is really just overdone.

Los Campesinos! is especially talented at adding and taking away different elements (ie. drums, guitar, and singing) to a song provide it’s distinct flair. This trait is exemplified towards the end of the album with the song “Avocado, Baby.” The song retains the sound of original Los Campesinos! songs like “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.” However, in the middle of the song, a Passion Pit-esque sound is added. The background singing sounds high pitched and almost childlike and the guitar moves to a higher pitch. The originally indie rock song morphs almost into an pop rock tune that keeps its roots. This mixture results in the highlight of the album.

This sound isn’t exactly new, but more of an amalgam of old ones. No Blues is a nice blend of pop sounds from the band’s first three albums, the maturity from its fourth album, and a newfound optimism that is refreshing from a band that often dwells on the darker things in life. The new album loses the raw emotion from the beginning, but Los Campesinos! traded that aspect for a much appreciated brightness. While this is a good trade on some songs, on others, like “The Time Before the Last Time,” it doesn’t quite work. No Blues may not be the best album Los Campesinos! has to offer, but it is definitely a nice addition to its repertoire.