‘Picture Show’ | Neon Trees

Utah-born band Neon Trees return from its hit debut album “Habits” by following its successful summery punk-pop formula in its latest offering, “Picture Show,” and it’s as appealing as ever.

The band that gave us the ridiculously catchy chart-topper “Animal” follows its familiar radio-friendly pattern on some of the best songs on “Picture Show,” such as the breezy first single “Everybody Talks,” which features a chorus that is impossible to forget. Additionally, the album opener, “Moving in the Dark,” is a winner—although much more of a pop offering, the Lady Gaga-esque synth and beat intro transitions neatly into a memorable group chorus that sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place on a movie soundtrack. The whole album feels like a big-budget Hollywood movie—sleekly produced with a fusion of bombastic, fast-paced tunes and understated love songs. The album artwork is even designed to look like a movie poster.

Main vocalist Tyler Glenn skillfully growls and whines his way through the variety of songs on “Picture Show,” and his voice proves to be one of the most distinctive features on the ’80s inspired pop-rock record, especially on the rockier songs of the album and the grungy and aggressive “Teenage Sounds.”

Indeed, although all the songs are appealing, sometimes the album does occasionally err onto the too-cheesy side of its own theatricality, as in “Hooray for Hollywood” when Glenn proceeds to rattle off a list of recently deceased celebrities over one of the bridges. That’s just tacky, Neon Trees. Certainly, some of the best songs on the album veer away from its formula—the saccharine “Mad Love,” complete with a retro-inspired chorus and percussionist Elaine Bradley’s sweet vocals, is just one example. There’s something for everyone on “Picture Show,” but some may find the aggressive catchiness and production a little bit hard to stomach, like a piece of deep-fried butter.