The Dears Return To Their Roots For Fourth Album, Missiles, Due October 21 On Dangerbird Records

(Dangerbird Records)--Beautiful. That's the shortest, quickest, most appropriate adjective to describe The Dears' intense, sonic piece de resistance, Missiles, due October 21 on Dangerbird Records. With three full LPs and a couple EPs under their belts, the orchestral dark-pop outfit returns with a collection sure to excite existing Dears believers while adding many new ones to the stable.

Originating in 1995, Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak have remained the core of this dynamic band, as members have stepped in and out of the line-up over the course of their impressive career. Harking back to their beginning, the forthcoming album is steeped in the band's signature sound yet embellished with contemporary flavor, charting into new territory. The exquisite and often complex arrangements serve as the springboard for the urgency in Lightburn's lyricism. His blatant storytelling swirls through epic instrumentation, raw with emotion and dramatic pauses, playing out like a cinematic romance with moving interludes.

A glimmering melancholy presides over the 10 tracks on Missiles. The steady chug of "Lights Off" slows into a lullaby as Lightburn sings, "Do us all a favor/ admit thy defeat/ through the back of the head/ And maybe we'll sleep with the lights off," before exploding into an unexpected and charged guitar solo. Yanchak's voice presides over "Crisis 1 & 2" as the bass slowly carries the melody into a lush chorus brimming with electric and acoustic guitars, ultimately climaxing with Lightburn's fervent vocals. The haunting organ in "Saviour" fittingly introduces the narrative: "Sprit's been crippled/ and feeling a little/ a little run down, a little run down/ Could blame the devil/ he gave me the shovel/ to dig my own grave," evolving into a chorus of children's voices that props Lightburn's vulnerable delivery. Let truth be told: The Dears really play the Blues.

Meanwhile, their critically acclaimed second album, No Cities Left, will be reissued August 12 on One Little Indian, in response to overwhelming success since its original release.

Having toured the world, The Dears' highly revered live shows have incited some to claim they saw the face of God, possibly arising from the band's ability to channel their passion and emotion to all in their presence.