Mine Is Yours (Deluxe Version)

Just as producer Jacquire King spun the Kings Of Leon’s retro Southern rock into relevant radio gold, his Midas touch on Mine Is Yours gives Cold War Kids’ third studio album a huge panoramic sound where the band’s rough edges and raw narratives have been smoothed over with glistening guitar tones, sleek synth notes and lyrics that focus on relationships and monogamy. The title-track opens with the healthy pulse of a stroboscopic synthesizer as Nathan Willett croons soulfully locking into inflections that walk the line between Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock and Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas. The catchy “Louder Than Ever” plays like an insta-hit that filters Echo & The Bunnymen’s dark beauty with the Walkmen’s adoration of early U2. The less obvious “Out of the Wilderness” is a solid standout where a distorted bass rumbles below clicking percussion and Willett’s return to painful, poetic lyrics of introspection that all spiral out of control before a disarming breakdown tames the tune. “Sensitive Kid” flirts with handsome minimalism while “Cold Toes On the Cold Floor” takes a bluesy hint from Black Keys.