After a small South American tour, a line-up change, and a relatively quiet 2009, British band Los Campesinos! return with Romance Is Boring, the follow-up to 2008’s We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. Formed four years ago at Cardiff University, Wales, Los Campesinos! consists of seven members (none of whom are Welsh, strangely enough) who have all adopted the last name Campesinos! (Spanish for “country person”) along with a knack for writing upbeat indie pop.

Los Campesinos! is signed to one of my favorite labels, Arts & Crafts (Canada), alongside such notable contemporaries as Broken Social Scene (and all of their associated side-projects), The Most Serene Republic, and Constantines.

With Romance Is Boring, comparisons to label-mates Broken Social Scene have never had more credibility, between having multiple vocalists and members, a fondness for less-than-typical instrumentation (think glockenspiels and keyboards), and possessing the magic formula for writing songs that are both atmospheric and catchy.

You may already know Los Campesinos! from one of their earlier hit singles, “You! Me! Dancing!,” but if not, now is a time as good as any to discover them – especially considering Romance Is Boring represents the band at their finest.

The album opens with “In Medias Res,” a down-paced piece featuring a breakdown a la experimental legends Xiu Xiu. After this first track, it was pretty clear that this release would have a different sound than the previous two, for better or worse. Other tracks, such as “There Are Listed Buildings” and “Romance Is Boring,” retain the familiar Los Campesinos! sound fans have come to know and love.

The vocals haven’t changed much from the previous releases, which might put off several would-be fans, between Gareth Campesinos!’ accent and sporadic yelling (although, I find that it counterbalances nicely with the female vocals).

Speaking of vocals (or a lack thereof), according to the band’s Wikipedia page, their “earliest compositions were long pieces in the style of “post-rock,” though no recordings from this era are known to circulate publicly.” Knowing this, I couldn’t help laughing at the lyrics to “Straight In At 101”: “I think we need more post-coital, and less post-rock, feels like the build-up takes forever, but you never get me off.” Being a fan of 10-minute plus songs, volume swells, and obscene amounts of layered reverb and delay, I was almost offended (for what it’s worth, which isn’t much).

Out of the several tracks worthy of being singles, “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future,” takes the cake. Making an appearance near the end of the track listing, the 4-minute opus summarizes the evolution of the Los Campesinos! sound from carefree indie pop to more introspective, atmospheric music, all while managing to retain a signature catchiness.

Los Campesinos! aren’t exactly breaking any new ground, but they did manage to create a solid album that won’t be as easily forgotten as other, more generic indie pop releases. Romance Is Boring, as well as a more mature Los Campesinos!, are sure to top several “Best of 2010” lists (or at least my own). Look for them on tour this April/May in the U.S. and Canada. Tour dates and other info can be found here.