Los Campesinos! has always been about duality. Male and female vocals, harmony versus discord, bitter monologues and sweetly sung melodies. However, on the latest release from this stage-cramming outfit from Cardiff, Wales, these two halves of the same whole are more cohesive than ever. Romance is Boring shows the band’s whose confidence is at an all-time high and the album borders on being a cynical masterpiece. Even if you don’t respond to the Pavement-meets-pop esthetic, you have to respect the fact that Los Campesinos! has loaded the album to the bursting point with irony, and yet it doesn’t collapse under the weight.

Bombastic horns underscore the heartbreak, and sympathetic strings support the brittle nature of love. With all the emotional discontent, pleas for bodily contact and resigned disconnection, it’s clear romance is harrowing, hurtful and painful — anything but boring. In true indie-rock fashion, the lyrics are cleverly oblique at first, but as the songs unfurl, they are made intensely personal. As the band’s duality suggests, this album offers the best of both worlds — songs that are immediately catchy and ultimately have considerable staying power.