Modest Mouse, the popular indie rock band, released a new 15-track album on March 17 titled Strangers to Ourselves that proved the group is anything but stagnant.

Isaac Brock’s vocals are as sporadic and unusual as ever, and lyrically the album is sure to be a hit among indie and alternative rock music lovers.

The difficulty with the music industry appears to lie in a band or artist’s ability to stay true to their style and artistic voice while still progressing. True rock fanatics don’t crave predictability, but they also don’t want something that strays drastically from a band’s style.

While it’s true that Modest Mouse has dabbled in a variety of styles over the course of their career, they were able to find a happy medium between experimentation and predictability with the release of this album.

Modest Mouse keeps lyrics refreshing and rhythms dynamic while still staying true to unpredictable vocal inflections from Brock and obscure lyrics that inevitably invoke a response in the listener.

“Lampshades on Fire” is the title of the album’s second track. This energized offering spewed out of car radio speakers nearly two months before the official release of the album. The track is catchy and repetitive which attracted some new mainstream fans.

“Lampshades on Fire” sports some unusual lyrics and an eccentric music video to match. Lyrics such as “Shaved off my eyebrows when I fall to the ground so I can’t look surprised right now,” prove that this band is not afraid to embrace their artistic voice.

The album ends with a calming track titled “Of Course We Know.” The soothing, melodic music paired with Brock’s softer side is a dynamic combination that any true fan is sure to enjoy.

In “The Best Room” Brock’s vocals can best be described as a combination of spoken statements and gravelly noises with engaging rock lingering in the background, making the track especially interesting.

Modest Mouse is known for their large discography so fans will undoubtedly compare this new release to their previous albums.

Following their 2007 release We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is no easy feat, considering that album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and contained some of their most adored hits, such as “Dashboard,” “Fire it Up,” and “People as Places as People.”

The release of Strangers to Ourselves was a long time coming. Devoted Modest Mouse fans suffered through an eight-year hiatus and a two-week delay when the release was pushed back from March 3.

The band is embarking on a 27-show summer tour, which will start on Friday in Buffalo, N.Y.

What can fans expect? Strangers to Ourselves does not disappoint, although it is not better than previous albums. But it’s a commendable effort that proves the band has the ability to pay homage to previous albums while progressing artistically.