The Shout Out Louds, indie rock’s lovable little quintet from Sweden, are back with their third full-length release “Work.” Produced by Phil Ek, the longtime Shins producer, “Work” is a great mix of youth and experience that ties together the fresh ’60s pop sound of the Shout Out Louds’ previous efforts with a new sense of maturity. 

The band name, Shout Out Louds, may seem a little silly, but the music on this album is no laughing matter. “Work” is a serious effort that does away with all the extra frills of their other albums. Ek’s hands are all over this album, as many of the songs resemble the extensiveness of the Shins’ last record “Wincing the Night Away.” He adds a more progressive approach to the pop on “Work.” 

Many of the songs here are carefully crafted with each instrument assigned to a certain role, feeding off each other with a certain unmatched energy. “Fall Hard” and “Walls” are good examples of this; each song builds up from the bottom to turn into a catchy indie anthem. 

What’s exciting about this record is how a lot of the songs are built around a constant guitar riff. 

“The Candle Burned Out” starts out with a mellow church organ humming in the background while a playful little guitar riff bounces around and sets up the verse. The riff on this and other songs acts as the lovable main character of a book; it attracts you and makes you love the song more and more. The album highlight, “Play the Game,” is a soft, whispering song about addiction, and it has that main U2-esque riff that pulls you in like gravity; it’s surreal and breathtaking as the rhythm and lead guitar feed off of each other quite nicely.

“Work” reveals a small departure for Shout Out Louds, but it certainly shouldn’t turn fans away. In fact, it should bring more in. Shout Out Louds have made a solid album that bends their past formula a little bit without becoming too distant.