Owl City, the project of Swimming With Dolphins’ Adam Young, burst onto the music scene in 2009 with their breakthrough single, “Fireflies,” off of their first album, Ocean Eyes. In 2011, Young came back with All Things Bright and Beautiful, which failed to produce a hit. Both albums were different, but still had a signature sound to them. Now, Young and company have arrived back on the scene with their third studio album, The Midsummer Station.

Owl City’s signature sound is gone. Instead, Young conforms to the new dance/synth genre that is sweeping pop airwaves. Most of the songs from the first half of the album are forgettable and similar to one another. “Dementia” is the only exception as Young receives some help from Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. The song combines twinkling beats, a classic Owl City element, with heavy guitars, a pulsing drum beat and bass, classic Blink-182 elements. The track’s catchy without being annoying, making it the best song on the album. Destined to be a fan favorite, “Metropolis” contains a combination of synthpop and orchestra music. It is a fun sing-a-long that will get fans excited at live shows.

The album finally starts to change at track number eight, “Embers.” Young displays the best lyrics from the album in this song. He declares, “So I’m fanning the flames, to climb so high. ‘Cause there’s no other way we can stay alive.” The next track, “Silhouette,” is the only song which is not jumpy and upbeat on the album. Young tries to show his vulnerability with lyrics like, “The more I try to move on, the more I feel alone.” He uses piano to start the song, but halfway through the beat picks up. The track still remains slow. Near the end of the song, an orchestra is added to make things more dramatic.

Overall, the album lacks substantial songs and many of the tracks end up blending together due to their similarity in sound. Most of the songs were made to be radio-ready pop singles. Because of that, there is no actual album structure. The disk is a weak attempt to regain Owl City’s momentum on the airwaves. Grade: D+

-Claire Gautrois, The Patriot Press