Style: Danceable psychedelic indie rock; compare to Broken Social Scene, Switchfoot, MGMT
Top tracks: “Blood Pressure,” “Heads Up,” “All or Nothing”
Mutemath’s self-produced third album is more of a nod to the band’s Christian roots — they started out as CCM outfit Earthsuit — than anything they’ve done in a while. Frontman Paul Meany says the lyrics are “loosely based on our upbringing in what you could call eccentric Christianity. . . . Writing this record gave us a new appreciation for it, and it gave us a chance to be more up front about ourselves.” That includes filleting guilt and spiritual legalism in “Walking Paranoia” and “Blood Pressure” (“Why can’t you be more like your older brother? / Why can’t you do a little more for Jesus?”). King’s often frenetic percussion pushes into the forefront of a pounding wall of sound that borrows liberal psychedelic guitar work, electronic wash, and swirls of the band’s hometown New Orleans blues. By embracing its “odd soul,” Mutemath delivers a more confident, consistent, and towering sound.
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