Amalgamating upbeat power-pop rhythms with stark, hardcore-inflected arrangements and shoegazer-inspired feedback and drone, Pedro the Lion’s latest release is a pleasantly earnest look at relationships, both physical and otherwise, told through the undeniably catchy sounds of an album too subtle to be arrogant and yet too interesting to ignore.

“Control” begins with “Options,” a moody, reverb-heavy tune powered, like the rest of the album, by frontman David Bazan’s low, hypnotic vocals. Bazan’s energetic guitar work shines especially on songs like “Second Best” and “Rejoice,” in which he combines gentle arpeggios with roaring distorted chords.

Instead of letting his performance dominate the album, however, Bazan follows through with sharp, deeply personal lyrics that cut to the heart of some of the less reputable aspects of human nature.

Indeed, Bazan wears his sins on his sleeve, particularly in the album’s phenomenal second track “Rapture,” a ecstatically vivid and painful recollection of an adulterous liaison: “The bodies move with everything we could lose/ pushing us deeper still…”

While certainly a must-have for Jade Tree and Pedro enthusiasts, the album has enough punch and wit to sustain the interest of even the most casual listener.

– Darryl Moton