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Indie-rock heritage The New Pornographers come roaring in with tenth.

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Over the past twenty years, no band has ever done it as eloquently as The New Pornographers have. Ever since their extremely sophisticated classic Mass Romantic in 2000, the Canadian supergroup have surpassed any expectations. Gleaming with suave synthesizers, lush harmonic vocals and candid splendour, they now reprise their signature style with their tenth – “The Former Site Of” – a brandishing of nuanced pop-rock that rarely stales.

Even their latest Continue as a Guest in 2023 does not conceive any notion that the band have past their prime. Still bursting with unique ideas from equally unique individuals, it symbolises a creative outreach to continue what they’re doing – without the additional consequences of letting anyone down. Two years later, there’s still that fire burning with a whole new due process. First crafted and composed by A.C. Newman in his home studio in order to ascertain the key feeling of each song, the rest of the assemble are then swooned in to refine, recolour and reclassify those moments that may have been missed. Having such an array of talented individuals at the helm can always feel too many cooks in the kitchen, so implementing this time in the studio no doubt really allowed things to open up. This unfastening is heard through out the record too – the atmospheric airing out which just allows each instrument to really swing their load about.

A crash course in traipsing this Universe – warts and all – The Former Site Of plays out ten short stories of people at personal and societal extremes, navigating uncharted waters. An array of instrumental nuances are flexed throughout its tenure – including synth swells, piano trills, mandolin motifs and of course, harmonic castings that really stick with you even after the last note is ushered. “Votive” plays into this wonderfully, an cathartic open of mandolins and keyboards into vocalist Kathryn Calder’s hooky refrain, “I didn’t see you there” bringing in the fold. Elsewhere, Spooky Action is a whimsical hit, pertaining to the notion of discovery. The juxtaposition between the guitar jinks and keyboard swab is rather delightful to the ear, as once again, the superlative vocals take centre stage. It’s this ushered simplicity that makes The New Pornographers so immersive. Meanwhile, Ballad of the Last Payphone strikes a different chord. Leaving the thrill of hope and discovery on the doorstep, …Payphone paints a melancholic portrait of a city lost to love and pity. One shouldn’t be too surprised what with being a ballad but its a welcoming change of pace all the same.

Twenty years of perfecting the pop-rock formalism to a tee, their tenth here is just another notch in one’s belt. Beautifully delightful in colour and craft, The Former Site Of is your album of the week.

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