“Another one bites the dust.”

A phrase made famous by Freddie Mercury, so meaningful it has been adapted into everyday use in our society. Whether it is being related to death, a breakup or, in the case of The Ataris, a former pop/punk band turning to the mainstream of society.

The band’s latest effort, “Welcome the Night,” is by no means a punk rock album in the style that elevated the group to the main stage, the big show.

The Ataris have found themselves in a new home, one that contains a total of seven band members (one person shy of doubling the original quartet in size) and a rich, indie-rock-with-a-dash-of-alternative-and-a-pinch-of-punk sound. A new style that seems to fit the character of the band almost better than the four-chord progressions that comprised the better part of the group’s ten-year existence.

Lyrically the album seems to have no slip-ups as far as being a “classic” Ataris’ album – songs about growing up and heartbreak have been the staple of frontman Kris Roe’s career. But on this album, the meanings are taken on from a more grown-up perspective. A little darker (“Not Capable of Love”), a lot more mature, and even at times containing a heavier edge, “Welcome the Night” is without a doubt far beyond anything that The Ataris have done in their time in the rock n’ roll spotlight.

Which is not necessarily a good thing.

Unfortunately, the loss of catchy melodies and an abundance of slow, dragging chord progressions have made this album more of snooze than a top-down-on-your-convertible rock-out album. Just another example of a band needing to stick to what works.