Nada Surf are back with a new album this week, The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy. It continues their signature brand of cranial wordplay set against easy going, occasionally lush rock orchestrations. The album takes its cue from the opener, spinning inventive cadences and wistful sing-songy choruses over melancholic chords that the group grates over layers of clean production. This is the perfect setting for Caws’ lyrics, which are confessional and removed all at once, full of themes of memory, observation and uncertainty, and yes, space. Far from being weighed down, though, the songs remain wistful and pensive in part because of the band’s generally upbeat, anthemic style. The other key element is Caws’ voice, like that of Ben Gifford or Wayne Coyne, which keeps things afloat with its youthful buoyancy and recognizably indie attack.

The album is pretty straightforward in terms of style. Whatever emo tendencies it embraces are offset by the crunch that comes with being around for the better part of twenty years and sharing an indie pedigree with the likes of Pavement and the Flaming Lips. This doesn’t prevent Nada Surf from throwing in some heavenly Beach Boys-esque harmonies between plucky guitar solos, as in “Waiting for Something,” which I find to be one of the album’s better tracks. The whole thing is a nice blend of the ethereal, both sonically and lyrically (who else would rhyme “the stars are indifferent to astronomy” with “Mars will salute your autonomy”?) with uncomplicated rock arrangements, and “When I Was Young” also captures this pretty well, building from a winsome acoustic track to a kind of reflexive anthem. “Let the Fight Do the Fighting” is worth checking out too, what with its strangely uplifting treatment of dejection and resignation, and a horn solo straight out of a mid-decade Belle & Sebastian track.

The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy may be slightly too introspective, stream of consciousness and no-frills at times to pass the current pop litmus test, but that conveniently allows this nevertheless put-together album to rely on the strength of the band’s natural lyricism.

3.5  /  5 bars

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Nada Surf – When I Was Young

Nada Surf – Waiting For Something by cityslang