When Hollywood star Jared Leto and his brother Shannon decided to get the band back together during lockdown, their mission statement was simple. They didn’t want to repeat themselves. Thirty Seconds To Mars' sixth album certainly achieves that goal and sees them ditch the guitars (and long-time shredder Tomo Milicevic), and embrace loops, synths and electronic music.

The sci-fi concepts and uplifting, arena-friendly rockers of old are also dumped in favour of downbeat confessionals about “the human experience”. If you thought 2018’s divisive but commercially successful America was a sharp left turn, well, buckle up folks, because you’re in for a bumpy ride.

Boasting more gloss than a painter’s overalls, the LA band’s latest will get them bottled off at the Download festival, but some tracks may become beloved by Tik Tokers (especially the radio friendly and rather charming ‘Seasons’). Written remotely, the record is like their answer to Taylor Swift’s Folklore, though she is certainly wittier. There are some solid pop tracks on offer (namely the synth-driven ‘World On Fire’), but ultimately the album feels like a misstep.

If this really is ...The End Of The World… then the Leto brothers are going out on a downer, when we really wanted them to roar.

5/10

Out now