This critique represents the personal views of blogger Adeline Lennon. Lennon’s views do not necessarily reflect those of The Royal Page staff as a whole.

Turning tragedy into dance-pop tunes seems to be a pastime for alternative band Passion Pit’s frontman, Michael Angelakos.

Both his latest, Kindred, and 2012 release Gossamer consist almost entirely of catchy electronic pop songs. However, woven into these songs are lyrics of Angelakos’ ongoing struggles with bipolar disorder.

Where Gossamer thrived due to its paradoxical melodies and lyrics, Kindred does not compare. Cliché dichotomies of light versus dark are used throughout to outline Angelakos’ shifting moods. Undoubtedly, his songwriting capabilities far surpass these obvious and trite comparisons.

Hans Zimmer, a composer who is widely known for his acclaimed film scores, helped to produce select songs on the album. With a partner-in-crime this successful, it’s clear that Angelakos had gained the regard of his peers for his previous work. But does Kindred deserve the same recognition?

The album consists of ten songs, a mere 35 minutes or so for one run-through. However, each computerized track feels repetitive, even in this short time-span.

Despite the album’s downfalls, standout tracks include “Five Foot Ten (I),” which is an upbeat ode to introverts everywhere, and “My Brother Taught Me How To Swim,” which discusses Angelakos’ road to acceptance of his mental illness. Sonically, “Until We Can’t (Let’s Go)” is also worth noting.

So while worthy of respect for his ability to capture sullen emotions in perky pop tunes, Angelakos’ excessive use of synths and falsettos is not quite as powerful as it seemed on past works.