After a long vacation in the English countryside with The Smiths’ producer Stephen Street, The Promise Ring returned fancying themselves the next great songwriters. So great that they decided to write predictable ballads.

Their first acts as songwriters swap all that distinguished the band for formulaic, mildly tuneful songs.

The jagged guitar riffs and sharp accents that marked The Promise Ring’s genre-defining Nothing Feels Good are nowhere on the new Wood/Water, having replaced by keyboard washes that drag down songs already lacking drive.

Even if the band was hit-or-miss on their last three albums, standout tracks balanced out weaker attempts.

Now, everything is equally mediocre. If The Promise Ring’s pop thrived on unpredictability in the Jade Tree Records era, this,their first album for Anti Records, is decidedly square. Even when they do latch onto a snippet of melody, it never stays interesting for long.

One loss tainting Wood/Water is that of producer J. Robbins. In the past, Robbins captured the band’s raw state, including the charming imperfections of guitarist Jason Gnewikow and vocalist Davey von Bohlen.

But Street blunts von Bohlen’s quirky tone and lisping diction – two main draws. Von Bohlen sounds as unique as Stephan Jenkins (whose band, Third Eye Blind, defines “middle of the road.”)

Bright spots on Wood/Water include “Become One Anything One Time,c which is just catchy enough to stop you from spotting its questionable style.

Every track burns you with 45 seconds that make you think, “Wait, I do like this.” Then you admit it’s just not working.

But it seems The Promise Ring is sincere in its attempt to improve upon the past. The band took a risk in trying something new. That risk, ironically, led to a completely boring and risk-less endeavor. nyou