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Lazy summer days. White picket fences. Tall green grass. The scent of freshly laid bark. Culs-de-sac and bare hands and feet imprinted with pebbles in the pavement. The suburbs.

This is what my childhood nostalgia is composed of — and Arcade Fire succeeds in disassembling theirs to find its key components in their newest album The Suburbs.

Sugar, spice and everything nice, however, aren’t the only things to be brought to the surface in the band’s exploration. The Suburbs is a coming-of-age story of heartbreak, identity-searching and skeletons.

It comes as no surprise that the band has continued in their nostalgia-inducing quest, post-Where the Wild Things Are, as “Wake Up” became the guiding coming-of-age anthem for the film. This time around, the resonance is maintained, if not strengthened.

A true testimony to the band’s transcendence? You’ll forget these singers are more than 30 years old, merely reflecting on their years of youth in song. That falsetto and those haunting chords will get you every time.

Beneath each epic orchestral composition is a delicate tale and an offering of escapism to those youthful years. And with the excessive usage of “the kids” in The Suburbs’ lyrics, you probably won’t forget it either.

It probably goes without saying, but I don’t suggest this album as a drinking game.

Front man Win Butler told National Public Radio that the newest album really came to life after Butler received a photo from an old friend, in his old neighborhood, with a not-so-old addition wrapped around the friend’s back: a daughter. A portrait of fleeting youth triggered a desire to retrace his childhood memories.

What sets this album apart from Funeral and Neon Bible is that the lyrics seem to look forward. That is to say, most of the songs on the album emphasize pushing the past aside. This is in stark contrast to Funeral, which immerses itself entirely in everyday morbidity and gloom. Not to mention, we see a shift in perspective as Butler speaks as the parental figure rather than the vulnerable child (see: Neon Bible). Lyrics in the title track “Suburbs” include, “I want a daughter while I’m still young.”

Arcade Fire has a few surprises for this album. Notably, the synth-y pop tune the album ends on, “Sprawl II.” When paired with “Sprawl I,” “Sprawl II” acts as the cheery resolution to the conversation. There’s even a bit of punk rock that comes through in the track “Month of May.”

And somehow, The Suburbs isn’t the slightest bit chaotic. Perhaps what I’ve always appreciated about Arcade Fire is that each album follows the formula of a chapter book, made apparent by the application of roman numerals. And I should add that these are roman numerals with purpose, not the ones that look plain pretentious. While sounds may vary — even blurring the lines of genre at times — The Suburbs has a clear beginning and end. Somehow, the songs even converse nicely with one another.

Of course, when compared to the band’s previous CDs, there is always room for scrutinizing. Songs like “Modern Man” and “Sprawl I” are not terrible songs by any means, but they fall a bit flat; they don’t add much to the already-lengthy compilation.

Luckily, The Suburbs offers a few gems. Tracks like “Ready to Start,” “We Used to Wait” and “Sprawl II” project enough excitement to fill the gaps, making the listen well worth it.

Cry. Dance. Sing at the top of your lungs. The Suburbs is a journey worth taking.

Here’s to another top-notch Arcade Fire album.

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