Promises

With its fourth studio album, The Boxer Rebellion pushes the boundaries of sublime guitar-driven alt-rock, brightening the album’s textures with radiant synth lines, a future-primitive bash of ’80s backbeats, and unexpected melodies. On “Take Me Back,” singer Nathan Nicholson confidently switches between his subdued croon and a soaring falsetto, and he gives spirited, emotional performances on forceful singles like “Diamonds” and the strident piano-based rocker “Keep Moving.”