Stir The Blood is a lot like time traveling with New Order. I’ve never been a big fan of the New York five-piece, but their latest offering has shown an effort to grow past their 2005 hit “An Honest Mistake.”

Borrowing heavily from The Smiths, Joy Division, and Tears For Fears, Stir The Blood incorporates synth rhythms and snappy drums with vocalist Sam Endicott’s signature style of slothful angst. “Adored” kicks off the album with hyperactive finesse, reminding us why their self-titled album was all the rage in 2005. “She’s So Bendable”, meanwhile, moves the listener into a slower tempo rich with drugged-out Bowie aesthetics.

Endicott does not gain points for originality of lyrics, but he’s never shown flair for Morrissey-like writing, only Smiths-like melodies. “I Am Your Skin”, for example, could have delivered the seductive sucker-punch he seem to be striving for, but lines like “I can feel your pulse like a moth inside a jar” fall a bit short of shiver-worthy. The melody of “I Am Your Skin” seems a bit off, too, as though the band set out to write a song about intense romance, but instead thought hard about new dance moves they wanted to bust out. Sunny keyboard pulsations and a slurring Endicott does not a romance make.

The majority of Stir The Blood is made up of the tracks that are extremely catchy during play, there is a lack of noticeable hooks. It has all the makings of an excellent dance-pop album, but unfortunately it fails to progress past neo-new wave. Fun, but ultimately not very memorable. The Bravery still fall into the “See Them If You Can’t Get Tickets For The Strokes” category.

Track Listing:

1. Adored
2. Song For Jacob
3. Slow Poison
4. Hate f__k
5. I Am Your Skin
6. She’s So Bendable
7. The Spectator
8. I Have Seen The Future
9. Red Hands And White Knuckles
10. Jack-O’-Lantern Man
11. Sugar Pill