Thirty years is a long time. It’s an exceptionally long time for a musician. Which is why Guster’s new album Ooh La La is so darn impressive. What started out as an acoustic rock outfit in a Tufts dorm room has morphed into something far more nuanced, far more resplendent and quite frankly, one of the best indie bands on the planet.

Their new album Ooh La La strikes a chord with anyone who has found kinship with the likes of Local Natives, Dr. Dog and/or The National. Produced by Josh Kaufman, the album is a cornucopia of sounds that is arguably one of the strongest, if not, the strongest Guster album to date and easily their most sonically mature. With a running time of 41 minutes it’s also their shortest album to date and frankly that might be by design. Brevity always leaves the listener wanting more.

Ooh La La opens with what is probably their best 1-2-3 punch since Easy Wonderful. “This Heart is Occupied” is without a doubt the band’s best album opener and very well might be one of the best songs Guster has ever written. But the album continues that forward momentum with the blissful and gauzy, 70s inspired “When We Were Stars.” The album its another apex moment on the ridiculously catchy earworm “All Day.” Think summer, poolside, cocktail in hand. That’s the vibe of “All Day.”

The band gets a bit kinetic in the punchy, albeit brief “My Kind.” Bolstered by a magnetic chorus it is proof positive that when it comes to hooks Guster is about as good as anyone out there. The COVID-inspired anthem “Keep Going” follows and continues the band’s penchant for motivational-inspired singles.

Side B opens with the belletristic “Gauguin, Cézanne (Everlasting Love)” which on some listens is superfluous and on others strikes just the right chord. The mildly disappointing “Witness Tree” follows and much like its predecessor has the same kind of outcome. On some days it feels superfluous and on other it strikes just the right chord. What is not to be lost by either of these songs is the band’s commitment to luxuriant production and rich texturing that proves the band is very much at their artistic zenith. “Black Balloon” is another gnomic and mildly tepid offering but unlike the Goo Goo Dolls hit of the same name this one has a bit more to say and packs much more of an emotional punch. The band rescues the album with a stirring closing duo.

Penultimate cut “The Elevator” is rousing, rewarding and damn near perfect, while album closer “Maybe We’re Alright” revisits the positive reinforcement of “Keep Going” while marrying the poolside vibe of “All Day.” Depending on the mood you’re in, the album’s middle half can either leave you wanting way, way more or it could be the perfect segue to an album that starts and finishes as strong as any album released this year without question.

Fresh off the heels of their We Also Have Eras tour, a musical theater mashup of the band’s 30+ year history and the band’s peaks and valleys, Ooh La La is just the album to keep Guster in the national conversation through 2025. What lies beyond that is anyone’s guess. But if they can craft an album as exquisite as Ooh La La, the sky is indeed the limit.

Here’s to Guster and their unending effort to keep going.