After three years of work, Neon Trees, an American rock band from Provo, Utah, released their highly anticipated fifth studio album “Sink Your Teeth,” allowing longtime and new fans alike to finally “sink their teeth” into the album.

Formed by childhood friends Tyler Glenn and Chris Allen, and eventually with the addition of Branden Campbell and Elaine Bradley, Neon Trees rose to fame with the release of their 2010 hit song “Animal,” featured on their debut album “Habits.” Since then, they have released four more albums, some standouts being “Everybody Talks” and “Sleeping with a Friend.”

The lead single “Favorite Daze” came out in June 2023, followed by “Losing Your Head” in September 2023 and three additional tracks in subsequent months, leaving fans with a taste of the album’s dancy pop. The album sets raw lyrics about the journey through adulthood to upbeat music, giving listeners a potent look at love and life in a modern world and the uneasiness that comes.

The album starts with a hopeful look at these anxieties of adulthood. With lyrics like “we’re way too young to give it up” on the opening track, “Favorite Daze,” the band pushes a narrative that perseverance is necessary to get through the rough patches in finding love. The majority of the tracks also feature high-energy drumming and guitar, giving an overall feeling of optimism, despite the potential troubles expressed in the lyrics.

The album also features some hard-hitting, less upbeat tracks as you dive further into it, such as “Acting.” Lyrics like “you can keep acting like you don’t care / and I’ll keep acting like I do, ooh” in “Acting” and “no one anticipated happy endings / there’s no room for chasing dreams” in “Leave” demonstrate the more moody side of the album, describing the lows that can be felt in the love scene in a modern society.

The album highlights the light and the dark in a modern world of living and loving. “Bad Dreams” shows escapism from the troubles felt by many today, with lyrics describing the bright “technicolor” images that can be seen in a dream world where you can be anyone or anything, possibly leading the dreamer to wish not to be awoken and brought back to reality.

Finally, the album leaves the listener with that aforementioned feeling of hope in the closing track “Losing My Head,” which brings back that earlier energetic beat and features lyrics of letting go and letting loose, despite all of the worries of the world.

Though the album itself varies sonically, with some songs more upbeat and some more slowed down and reserved, it can feel a bit repetitive, especially in the upbeat songs. This makes for an easy listen and a cohesive album but can also cause the listener to miss out on some of the deep and potentially relatable lyrics featured. If there was more sonic differentiation between the more optimistic tracks and the harder-hitting ones, it may allow the listener to fully soak in the depth and meaning of the lyrics. However, as it is now, it makes the lyrics blend together and be easily missed.

Overall, “Sink Your Teeth” is a very interesting listen, especially for those who lean toward alternative rock music. It features variety, ensuring there is something for everyone — whether you want to dance around in the living room with your friends on a Friday night or stare out a rainy window on a long car ride in deep reflection and thought.

Rating: 3.5/5