Mutemath’s middling fifth LP and five-year endeavor, Play Dead takes foreshadowing cues from 2015’s Vitals and last year’s Changes, then arcs upward into the electronic cloud. Upon those visions, the New Orleans band has taken on a much less democratic sound, as frontman Paul Meany rises front and center. “Stroll On” ambles a lush, bouncy pop vibe, and the Eighties-electro-tinged “Break the Fever” pushes into hit-chasing Maroon 5 territory. Now that electrifying drummer Darren King, a founding member alongside Meany, recently walked – as did longtime bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas – Mutemath faces an uphill battle. (2:15pm, Honda stage)

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This article appears in October 6 • 2017.

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Kahron Spearman is a journalist and writer with bylines including The Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Consequence of Sound, Texas Highways, and the London-based journal The Break-Down. He currently serves as Senior Editor at Atmosphere TV.