The first time took a hiatus and wrote a bunch of songs on his own, it led to the launch of his solo career as . Three decades later, when a burst of writing resulted in over 40 songs -- including material earmarked for a retro-Americana solo album with -- he brought them to the band and producer to get first pick. Though will probably never perform in Stetsons, reflects an acceptance that their music doesn't have to conform to expectations. Leaning into the earthy influences of country and folk may not be an expected move for the band, but it feels surprisingly natural. As a solo artist, explored roots and country elements with great success on and (which included among its players). There's also plenty of shared musical DNA between those genres and the 1950s and '60s pop that colors "Haunted House," a tale of the spirits and memories happily spending their afterlives in an English manor. This feeling of supernatural commitment continues on the title track, which was inspired by folk songs about settlers who couldn't leave their town no matter how often they tried. Folk is an underappreciated building block of ' music (this is the band that namechecked in that famous want ad, after all) and one that shines on the equally pretty and ominous "Thunder and Lightning." Though comparisons to ' earlier albums are inevitable, feels more post- than a callback to their '80s and '90s work. That album marked the first time the band seemed truly comfortable since re-forming, with a confidence that allowed them to pull off some fancier tricks that they embellish on here. On the spacey surf-punk stomp of "Nomatterday," tempo shifts are the new loud-quiet-loud; on "Dregs of the Wine," the group pairs conversational lyrics with 's windmill riffs and a typically great solo from ( wrote the music to "Dregs" and co-wrote the words to another song, "Pagan Man"). also added a slower burn to ' repertoire that they make the most of on . Slowing down enhances "Vault of Heaven"'s interstellar spaghetti Western drama, while the galloping, biblically minded breakup song "You're Such a Sadducee" heightens its poignancy by letting the fundamental disagreement of its coda ("I'm turning around/You're burning it down") ring out infinitely. Even with some of the edges smoothed off, are still as idiosyncratic as ever, but where "Get Simulated"'s musings on the digital afterlife might have been punctuated more emphatically before, they now slither into listeners' ears. pushes the boundaries of what a album can be, but not aggressively -- quite the opposite, in fact. The peaks may not be quite as high as they were on , but it's still a lot of fun to hear the band's reinvention. ~ Heather Phares