It's official. Incubus has a pop album.
Well not exactly pop but more of a pop-rock mid-tempo set of songs. 'If Not Now, When?' starts fresh with an 80s feel with the title track. It then proceeds to 'Promises Promises', a sort of groupie-point-of-view song. From there, they basically stay on the same road, not steering much with every tune they present. The melodies are catchy & the music backs them up tightly. Good songs actually make up the whole record. Good, but not necessarily great.
If you've been following the band since the beginning (or at least the middle) of their career, you would know that they are one of those few bands that show growth & evolution through their albums. A group that has a conscious effort to not repeat what they have done in the past as much as possible.
'Fungus Amongus' was full-on funk.
'S.C.I.E.N.C.E.' was funk/rap-metal.
'Make Yourself' was nu-metal.
'Morning View' was modern metal-alternative.
'A Crow Left Of The Murder' was hard rock (& the peak of their greatness).
'Light Grenades' was scattered-modern rock.
With 'If Not Now, When?', they chose to reinvent again & leave their comfort zones more than ever. Chris Kilmore, their previous DJ, fully takes on the role of the keyboard player. Guitarist Mike Einziger steps back, avoiding the flashy riffs & leads. Drummer Jose Pasillas applies a more-bassy sound, forgoing with his signature treble-laden pounding which works well with Ben Kenney's bass-playing. And the fact is that it all works well & perfect. The whole machinery is cool & smooth.
However, it does not offer anything new. It may be new to Incubus but it's a territory that many musicians have been on before. Einziger might try out a Radiohead-like tone here & there or employ 80s riffs on 2 songs but it's nowhere near groundbreaking. As for vocalist/lyricist Brandon Boyd's themes, it still has that poetic attitude. However, like in the previous album, the themes that surround the tracks are mostly about romance. He is more convincing delivering lines with depth. Here he is almost comparable to younger lovelorn singers. The good news is that he sounds less annoying here than on his emo-like takes on Light Grenades. Although the 'ooohs' & 'aahs' he's too comfortable executing sometimes seems off. He unfortunately was not able to fully-adapt to the new genre they decide to take on.
The album is not 100% mid-tempo. There's the lead single 'Adolescents' which is formulaic Incubus & the fast-paced 'Switchblade' which really is a sore-thumb. The most redeeming part of the whole record though is the 2nd part of 'In the Company of Wolves'. The first part sounds like it was written by either Coldplay or Band Of Horses. But it sublimes into a weird & dreamy tune ala-Massive Attack. It's the most space-floating moment you'll get in this 50- minute ride.
In conclusion, Incubus avoided taking risks but by doing that, they took a huge risk at the same time. It's a paradox that, if given enough thought, actually holds true. The risk is losing a large part of their fan base who were too familiar with their previous aggressive & brash music. The not-taking-risks on the other hand is delivering an album full of forgettable hits; songs that may be catchy at first but melt away too easily. Whether they intentionally want to mess with people's minds or not by offering average music, they undoubtedly seem uninspired. Musicians have to be judged by music anyway. Theirs today is sedated - an inkling of what they can do as a powerful band. Better luck next time.