Kings of Leon are a band that most people know of but comparatively few seem invested in nowadays. The family band from Tennessee haven’t really been the same since the monumental success of Only by the Night and their subsequent meltdown; at least, their music hasn’t had the edge of Youth & Young Manhood or the power of their more popular hits. Kings’ latest offering, WALLS, has been marketed as an edgy new output in which “the walls come down” and the band gets personal. This, their seventh studio album, lives up to expectation: it is fresh, interesting and full of the sort of things that Kings do best.

The thing that strikes me most about WALLS, an acronym for We Are Like Love Songs, is how polished it is. There will be those that complain the band have lost some of their magic because of it – after all, rough-around-the-edges defined their early career – but the Followill family have grown up and their style has grown with them. Kings are settled here; they have stopped caring about who listens to their music and seem to care only that it’s good. That could be the influence of new producer Markus Dravs (Florence + the Machine, Arcade Fire) or merely a result of their own maturity. In any case, it leads to a more varied range of music as the band gets comfortable with creativity.

The first track is lead single ‘Waste a Moment’, an upbeat number with vague ‘Sex on Fire’ vibes, which showcases Kings’ aptitude for strong choruses that are worthy of arena tours. This one should have more atmosphere live than it does on record but that isn’t to say it doesn’t pack some punch. The same can be said for the next track, ‘Reverend’, which has a plangent opening and closing melody and a powerful centre.

Then we come to ‘Around the World’, which feels a little confused at first. It’s chirpy enough, though, with a nice guitar riff, a strong bassline and several layers to it. Perhaps it’s that quality which makes this a song that grows on you the more you listen to it; it’s the most interesting track on the album, even if it isn’t the best. On the subject of interesting, ‘Muchacho’ is a lamenting calypso in which the Followills treat us to some Latin-influenced percussion and whistling.

‘Find Me’ and ‘Eyes on You’ are the more upbeat tracks on the album and find themselves reminiscent of the band’s younger sound; the former has the best bass hook of the album while the latter hints at the screeching vocals Caleb used to be so fond of. He never quite gets there but it is nice to hear him pushing his voice that way again. The eponymous track ‘WALLS’ is the only true ballad in the tracklist, and Kings decide to ease out of the album with this Springsteen-esque number. The thumping bass in the opening builds just enough and the stripped back quality of this song is what makes it so good, letting the vocals take centre stage.

Frontman Caleb said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly before the release that the band “have more depth on this album […] we’re wanting to dive in.” If his lyrics are anything to go by, Caleb is misguided; there is a distinct lack of depth here, despite promises of personality. Incidentally, it’s Caleb’s vocals, not his lyrics, which are often the selling point for this band and this album is no exception. That being said, the biggest points of interest come from the guitar melodies, where the album does dive in new directions while maintaining a solid rock undertone. All in all, this is an album which sees Kings of Leon finally relax as a unit and make music which may not be ground-breaking, but is undoubtedly good.