Incubus 8

The long-awaited follow-up to 2011's If Not Now, When?, 8 is the aptly named eighth studio long-player from the mercurial, Southern California-based hard rock/ex-nu-metal quintet. Co-produced by EDM/dubstep heavyweight Sonny John Moore, better known by his stage name, Skrillex, the 11-track set dials back on the synth-heavy, AAA pop/rock stylings of their previous outing in favor of a more streamlined, guitar-driven approach that should please fans of their earlier work. Front-loaded with a trio of in-your-face, melodically and emotionally charged haymakers ("No Fun," "Nimble Bastard," and the radio-ready "Glitterbomb"), 8 gets off to a rowdy start before exploring moodier territory on the brooding and anthemic "Undefeated" and the dark, electro-charged "Loneliest." A seemingly random foray into improvised camp, the just-under-a-minute-long "When I Become a Man" offers up a bit of levity, but those offbeat vibes are rendered largely inert by its introspective successor, the fractured "