ANGELS & AIRWAVES - Lifeforms LP (Magenta, Mint and Black Smush Vinyl)

Label: Rise

Arriving seven years after 2014's The Dream Walker, Angels & Airwaves' sixth studio album, 2021's Lifeforms finds lead singer/songwriter Tom DeLonge further expanding his love of anthemic '80s-style alt-rock and synth pop. The extended hiatus from recording was due in part to DeLonge's work with To the Stars, his paranormal and UFO research company.

And while he continues to weave alien and supernatural themes into his work on Lifeforms, the album is one of the band's most grounded. It's also one of his most rock-oriented productions. Where some of the group's past albums showcased more of a keyboard-based sound, on Lifeforms DeLonge purposefully amps up the guitars, a sound that evokes the driving punk and emo pop of his work with blink-182 and Box Car Racer. While certainly one of the most robustly guitar-centric albums Angels & Airwaves have made, there is still plenty of synthy, otherworldly shimmer glowing at the edges of Lifeforms, bristling with a vibrant blend of punk and dance-rock energies.