By Divine Right

Sorely missed, By Divine Right return with a gorgeous collection of airy, hazy, pop-infused rock'n'roll that celebrates all that is sunny and shiny in this dark world. Jose Contreras has allowed the BDR moniker to take all manner of shapes and sizes over the past 20 years, housing talents like Brendan Canning, Leslie Feist and Brian Borcherdt along the way. Even as much of the world celebrated and elevated Canadian indie rock over the past decade, Contreras let his pioneering BDR go dim, quietly producing great records by others while tending to his blossoming family. It's no surprise, really, that Mutant Message ― the first new music by Contreras since 2004's Sweet Confusion ― bubbles with urgent psychedelic revelry and optimism over concise blasts of pop jabs. There's a thoughtful weight to sophisticated, slyly autobiographical tunes like "Que Paso?," and the sharp romance of "I Will Hook You Up" belies a jaunty album with bite.