OURS/Vaudeville/Luna Arcade/Free Medicine

Although OURS originally started out as The Harmony Bandits (a much cooler band name), the band has gone on to see some success even with its currently boring moniker. They’ve worked with very high-class producers over the years, like Steve Lillywhite (Distorted Lullabies) and Rick Rubin (Mercy…Dancing for Death of an Imaginary Friend)), so it isn’t entirely surprising to see that the alt-rockers have been able to stay relevant in the industry long enough to see the birth of their fifth studio album, this year’s Ballet the Boxer 1. The album doesn’t diverge much from those that they’ve put out in the past, as songs like “Devil” show off band-mastermind Jimmy Gnecco’s versatility in being both silky soft and devastatingly emotional. Meanwhile, the riffs in album-opener “Pretty Pain” remind the listener of the band’s heavier roots, as it further shows off Gnecco’s dynamic range. (Jacob DeSmit)