“Familiarity breeds contentment,” or so the axiom goes. For Washington State indie-rock stars, Death Cab For Cutie, that axiom is not entirely correct. Over the course of the quartet’s fourteen-year career, Death Cab has remained familiar but has never sounded content. With the release of their seventh album, Codes And Keys, Death Cab’s experiments with keyboards and lyrical content ultimately culminates in the creation of their best album since 2005’s Plans.

Narrow Stairs, the ambitious sixth album by Death Cab, was too sprawling for its own good, despite its relatively short length (coming in at just under forty-five minutes). Codes And Keys, on the other hand, is concise both lyrically and musically. It would be incorrect to label the album “stripped-down,” for the group’s foray into electronic elements borders on avant-garde pop. Yet, where Narrow Stairs was comprised of complicated sonic soundscapes that overpowered many tracks, Codes And Keys finds Death Cab reining in their ambition, proving that true mastery is found in the ability to capture more by doing less.

“Home Is A Fire” kicks the album off with Ben Gibbard singing softly over Chris Walla’s keyboard while an earnest bass line pushes the track ever closer to the edge but never quite over the brink. Echoing the first track is the sophisticated “Doors Unlocked And Open” and the quirky “Some Boys.” The stunningly simple “St. Peter’s Cathedral” is visceral yet contained as Gibbard showcases his lyrical mastery; “At Saint Peter’s Cathedral there is stained glass, there’s a steeple that is reaching // Up towards the heavens such ambitions never failing to amaze me,” Gibbard sings, “Its either quite a master plan or just chemicals that help us understand // That when our hearts stop ticking this is the end // there’s nothing past this.”

Death Cab For Cutie’s ability to craft great pop songs is evident throughout Codes And Keys, as the album is the most upbeat record of the group’s career. Whether the group relies on a memorable guitar rift (“You Are A Tourist”) or bouncy keys (“Portable Television”), Death Cab is able to capture happiness and display it in a way that is never cliché nor redundant. “Underneath The Sycamore” is reminiscent of “I Will Possess Your Heart” as the group uses a repetitive beat to drive sophisticated electronic components into a hypnotizing exemplar of indie craftiness. Yet, Death Cab is also capable of composing stripped-down pop gold, such as closer “Stay Young, Go Dancing,” a Beatles-esque ode to youthfulness that is effervescent and sunny.

It would be an oversimplification to consider Codes And Keys modest. Truly, the record needs multiple listens to illuminate the intricacies that Death Cab For Cutie hide within each and every track. The quartet’s seventh album is quietly experimental, a launching pad for the next chapter of Death Cab. When Gibbart & Co. asserted that this album would cover cheerier themes, there were those who doubted the ability of these ignorantly labeled indie-emo practitioners to accomplish such a task. Codes And Keys, however, is a triumphant adventure into sophisticated pop music that gives more with each listen. Despite the experimentation, Codes And Keys is still the familiar Death Cab millions have grown to love, yet it is unlike anything the group has ever created.

*This review was composed by Mike Meeze