Originally published at kemptation.com on 14 April 2015. Words by Stephanie Yip

Released 28 April 2015 via Megaforce Records

There are bands that constantly evolve, altering their sound, content and get-up in line with what’s currently being digested on the charts. Then, there are bands that you can constantly bank on to remain exactly how you remembered them when you first laid your ears to their music so many years ago.

Plain White T’s is one of the latter.

After what seems like a lifetime of hiatus (their last record, Wonders of the Younger was released in 2010 before they entered a so-called ‘career limbo’) the five-piece pop-rock band has returned with their latest full-length, American Nights. And in case longtime fans are wondering, yes, it IS everything you remember the Plain White T’s to be: Poppy, energetic, romantically inclined and all-round fun. And as for the get-up? There’s nothing new here either, with all five original band members (from 2002 onward) returning for your listening pleasure.

The record opens with title track, American Nights. It’s a poppy love song that doesn’t take itself too seriously and does well to lift the spirits and the lungs, howling woooaaahhhh into the star-filled sky right unto the very last. It’s a lead-up into something slightly more down tempo, but no less easy-on-the-ears.Bred from happy-fantastic land of feel-good ditties, Pause sings of slowing down, looking around, and appreciating what’s around you.

Never Working is probably one of the least memorable tracks on the record. There’s always one, I guess. It’s quite moot, a little repetitive and seems not to actually go anywhere (guess that’s why it’s not working?). On the plus side, it’s a short-lived number and is followed by a more fun and digestible one called Heavy Rotation. Welcome something flirtatious and cute. And, in true Plain White T’s style, is not-so-secretly also an ode to a girl that singer Tim Lopez is puppy-dogging over. And while it pales in comparison to the band’s breakout and biggest hit, Hey There, Delilah, it’s still very much a contender for an upcoming single.

The halfway point brings on the slower ballads – another area where the Plain White T’s shine, and they do so grandly with Stay. Calling out to that girl, it pulls on all the emotions of the predominantly female fan base, with vocalist Tom Higgenson calling out for one more chance with the love he’s losing. Finally, there’s the standout ballad, You Belong. Again, it’s another love song that finds Higgenson serenading that perfect halo of a woman, placing her on the pedestal of a goddess. Listening to it, it almost feels as though you’ve entered a reverse Taylor Swift music universe, where all that rings across the airwaves is divine worship, as opposed to hateful revenge.

And just like that, the Plain White T’s crank up the energy again for a rollicking, fist-pumping medley of daydreams and romance, the kind that you can imagine spinning around in circles to until you’re dizzily flopping onto the floor, smile permanently fixated upon your childish little mug.

While plain in tone and harmony, the saving grace for Someday You’re Gonna Love Me is in the lyrics. Inevitably, among the poppy haze and four-beat melody, what Plain White T’s has got down to a, well, you know… (T), is their ability to reach out to the ladies and make them fall in love with them. With words. With romance. With a Mr Darcy kind of ultimate perfection. There’s this unmistakable air of euphoria that their lyrics, rife with conviction, induce that send women into an unbearable ovulating swoon. And the song’s sugar sweet somethings: “When we see things clearly / You’ll know I’ve loved you all this time / And I promise every kiss will be the sweetest of your life” might just send you there.

Love Song is another fine example of exactly what Plain White T’s does, only this time round, it’s a different kind of europhia – more giddy, less sentimental. Like sunshine on a rainy day, it’s the kind of ditty that lives in a tropical holiday or a 1980s video clip, where backup dancers sway and clap in tune with the music, smiles plastered onto their faces and Hawaiian shirts swaying gently in the breeze. It’s cheesy but oh-so-ridiculously fun.

Penultimate track, Time to Move On brings us back to the land of traditional pop, taking a page from Pause, it’s another lighthearted, positive song about looking forward, head-high and future bright and runs gleefully into the arms of the album’s closer: Here Comes That Sunrise. As expected, it’s another positive song about looking forward, head-high and future bright (repetition intended) with just a little more ‘oomph’ than its predecessor to really close off the record.

While nothing new, nothing progressive, and nothing compared to the success of Hey There, Delilah, Plain White T’s are everything you remembered them to be.

Welcome to nostalgia. Glorious, euphoric, pop-rock nostalgia.