Titus Andronicus is a band made for the 21st century. In a time when all types of musical expression are accepted, and are often marketed as “creative” and “proudly individual,” there are increasingly few places left to serve as refuge for the true frustrated outcasts and oddballs in America. But Titus Andronicus has consistently done just that — they have provided us with nearly 10 years of guilt-free punk that feels genuine and uncontrived in an era dominated by fashionable hipsters riding their respective waves in lieu of producing heartfelt content.

But it seems that Titus Andronicus set the bar too high. Released in 2010, “The Monitor” was a Civil War concept album that touched on pride and perception on a national and personal level. It was such a ground-breaking piece of work that a return to basic, music-nite-at-the-bar rock on the new “Local Business” lacks the passion and uniqueness that we have come to expect from Glen Rock’s finest.

The new songs are by no means bad. Funnily enough, they seem to fall back, as everything from Jersey eventually seems to do, on a heavy dose of Springsteen, in this case in the form of lots of bouncy piano, galloping drums and sing-along choruses. But while some songs, namely opener “Ecce Homo,” hard-hitter “My Eating Disorder” and boozy half-instrumental “Tried To Quit Smoking,” hit their mark, too much of the album feels repetitive and like more of the same for a band that has shown such remarkable creative force.

So “Local Business” is not a bad title; if you are new to Titus Andronicus, it might actually be a good starting point, with easily accessible songs and quality still better than most other options in the genre. If you are a fan and have been waiting for this album, you should by all means give it a listen, but if you expect a respectable follow-up to “The Monitor,” then you may be disappointed.