Bodies instantly feels familiar, in a reassuring way, and not just because five of its 11 tracks have long been available to the listening public. Tonally, the likes of Begging For Trouble, Looking For Tragic and Twisted Tongues, with its marching snare and galloping guitar, retain the sleek but spiky model we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years. There’s a residue of the retro about them, too, no doubt informed by singer Davey Havok’s new wave flirtations in his other band Dreamcar, giving them an added atmosphere and vigour.

Bodies saves its most experimental moment for the final track. Back then it was The Wind That Carries Me Away, a bluesy bar stomp the band unfortunately didn’t capitalise on with this new album; now it’s the extraordinary industrial lullaby Tied To A Tree. Glacial in both tone and pace, it creeps forwards slowly and ominously before bursting forth into a vast cavern of sound, with Davey’s voice aching on an epic scale. It’s the album’s high point by several thousand feet, while also suggesting that members of AFI could enjoy careers as composers for film, much like Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Let’s be honest: AFI don’t make bad albums, and Bodies certainly hasn’t changed that. It’s just that many of the good things about it are the elements that also end up leading its authors astray. The band’s desire to suffuse their sound with new tones and textures is admirable and frequently pays dividends, but there are moments when that drive to evolve leads them to either cleave too close to other bands or stray too far from their own fundamentals. And while it must be an unenviable task having to navigate these considerations musically, AFI are never less than engaging and still frequently fascinating when they’re doing it.

TRACK LISTING

1. Twisted Tongues / 2. Far Too Near / 3. Dulcería / 4. On Your Back / 5. Escape From Los Angeles / 6. Begging For Trouble / 7. Back From The Flesh / 8. Looking Tragic / 9. Death Of The Party / 10. No Eyes / 11. Tied To A Tree