After a six-year gap between albums, California quartet returned with the pop-friendly , a surprising sixth effort that traded their early nu-metal/post-grunge hurricane for a smooth, R&B- and funk-influenced rumination on love that was inspired by , , and . Fatherhood and marriage have changed the -fronted group, resulting in honest lyrics that address cooling passions, relationship tedium, and the real-life issues associated with trouble in paradise. For those expecting another "Crawling in the Dark" or "The Reason," is jarring, to say the least, an outlier in the band's catalog that should prove divisive. Produced by is an apt reflection of two of that producer's past collaborators: and . Extracting some of 's funk-rock and weaving it with 's smooth, blue-eyed soul-pop, reinvigorates 's approach most blatantly on the strutting "Push Pull" and the achingly sweet "More Beautiful," one of the first examples of 's falsetto. These oddities of electronic disco-funk are tempered with more familiar rock tracks like the chugging "True Believer," a saucy number wherein cowbell and handclaps buffer 's romantic pleas to "Resurrect me, making me come/Make me come alive." While "True Believer" plays on unabashed sexuality, its counterpart, "Buzzkill (Before You Say Goodbye)," tries to recapture the same flame of desire with yearning honesty. also includes a -esque cover of ' "Head Over Heels," which fits with the album's overall sentiment, but is ultimately unnecessary considering the number of unexpected turns to digest elsewhere. This is a hitherto unseen, and the results are refreshing if listeners can move beyond this abrupt sonic shift. Hook-heavy, impeccably produced, and brave, shines a light on all the ugly and difficult issues that face a matured and seasoned relationship years down the line when reality sets in and those sparks of new love have faded. ~ Neil Z. Yeung