If we live in a world of alternative facts, we can have alternative punk, right?

While you ponder that, Incubus dropped their eighth album, aptly titled 8. They've always been a fave of mine since high school and I admit I fell off the wagon the last couple years as they lost the charm of their first few records, namely Make Yourself and Morning View. This time around, they return to their alt/radio-friendly/mainstream roots with a narrative that's less political and much more personal to vocalist, Brandon Boyd. Is it as captivating as old? No, but by far it's a major move up from the missteps of the last few years.

Skrillex producing had me expecting heavier material and things leaning to psych and prog. rock. Instead, Incubus put out mid-tempo medleys that are catchy, melodic and whether you like to admit it or not, infectious. "No Fun", "Nimble Bastard" and "State of the Art" open the record up on these notes. But sadly, there's not much variety after that bar the shimmery nature of "Familiar Faces" (which has a dream-pop Kite Party vibe to it) and "Throw Out The Map" (which sparks with a hard-rock edge and one that could have adorned the album more). All in all, my expectations weren't that high and it's nice to see them feeling relaxed. Incubus sound comfortable in their own skin again and I'm eager to see how they improve from this.