Downtown

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts is Cold War Kids’ fourth album and the Southern California rock band has managed to retain exactly what initially compelled fans on their 2006 debut Robbers & Cowards_. That howling blues sensibility has lingered throughout the band’s discography, even as the musicians, who are joined by a new guitarist on this disc, explore novel sonic influences. Opener “Miracle Mile” is a raucous blues number, full of jangly guitars and singer Nathan Willett’s yelping croon. Other tracks, however, find deeper introspection, sliding away from that crunchy rock and into slow-burning indie folk. (See the title track and closer “Bitter Poem.” ) There’s a natural flow to the songs on this disc, moving the tempos and paces up and down as it progresses. It’s perhaps a less obvious album than their previous effort, but it’s also a more complexly drawn collection of songs. And that blues sensibility you always liked best about them is happily still there.