Starting with their 2010 album Subiza, the Spanish combo Dolorean began adding some soft and dreamy textures to their blend of indie rock guitar pop and synth-driven dance rock sound, blurring the edges and beginning a transition away from guitars and traditional song structures that continued on 2013's Apar and reached full bloom on 2016's Muzik.

Released on their own Phlex label, the album is blindingly shiny, almost guitar-free, and hits the exact same sweet spot between dancing and dreaming that their last two albums did.

The absence of guitars is made up for with lots of rippling synths and by boosting Ekhi Lopetegi's longing vocals just a bit.

The warmth he puts into songs like the title track or the aching ballad "Both" gives the sometimes cold backings a beating heart to hold onto.

Indeed, despite the brightness of the keys and the pulsing tempos, the record has a sleek, chilly feel not too far away from Cut Copy or the bands from the Drive soundtrack.

There are hazy beams of sunlight that break through occasionally here, especially on sweet songs like "Limbo" or the album-opener "Epic," definitely enough so that jackets are not required while spinning the album.

Its muted tone does mark a shift from previous work, though, and it works well for them.

They sound less like a cleaned-up, fully sorted baggy '90s throwback and more like a modern, forward-looking group, absorbing what's going on around them and making it theirs.

Sure, there are a ton of bands pursuing a very similar sound and feel as Dolorean are on Muzik, but their style, the strength of their songs, the sweep of their melodies, and the strong emotional core revealed by their lyrics and vocals push them ahead of the pack.