If Not Now, When?

After a hiatus of five years, formerly angst-ridden radio rockers Incubus return not with a karate kick but a soft shoe and packet of Werther’s Originals.
This seventh album represents a leisurely approach to songwriting, where toned-down guitars and synths interlace to create a soothing experience. Exciting it isn’t.
Moments after the opening title track throbs into synthy life a nagging question sets in: Isn’t that the riff from ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’??

It’s illustrative of one thing: Incubus do not do ‘originality’ very well. Tracks ‘Promises, Promises’, ‘Thieves’ and ‘The Original’ (the latter saved by a last-minute guitar crunchfest) do not speak of a band at their creative peak, but rather one comfortable with their place in the world who wouldn’t mind selling a few hoodies.
Incubus only ‘cut loose’ on ‘Switchblade’, and when they do they sound like a fizzless version of U2. Acoustic track ‘Defiance’, meanwhile, is an almost insultingly close parody of Sap-era Alice In Chains that leaves a bad taste on your turntable.

That’s not to say it’s all bad news. With veteran knob-widdler Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam et al) producing, you know to expect some quality. Vocalist Brandon Boyd’s powerful singing is buffed here to a high emotive sheen and the guitars sound warm and enveloping throughout.
Only folksy epic ‘In The Company of Wolves’, which ends in a crashing instrumental coda, suggests a genuine seam of talent is still running through Incubus.