After a five year hiatus, James Mercer is back as The Shins with an entirely new cast of band members. But thankfully, though much as changed in the blogosphere, Mercer hasn’t lost his penchant for gushing power pop and lovesick poetics. A first listen to “Simple Song,” off the forthcoming Port of Morrow, and it’s clear that Mercer is back to his old tricks. The pinning pipes of his voice are still there, the jangle of his guitar lines still ring true, and his melodic twists and turns are as infectious as before. This isn’t recycled material, but reinvented. This is tried and true Shins remade, this time with more bombast and some snazzy, new effects. All in all, this is why fell in love with the Shins in the first place.

STREAM: The Shins – “Simple Song”