Hysterical proves a point. And that is music is best made not on a timeline but rather as inspiration strikes. While fans of CYHSY may have been clamoring for new music these last few years, this latest batch of songs is worth the wait. After a lap through Hysterical you can’t help but think that the perspective of working on outside projects individually combined with the time apart only helped to energize the band. Take a song like “Same Mistake”, which opens the new album. It captures so much of what we love about CYHSY, from their infectious melodies to Alec Ounsworth’s quirky delivery and wordplay. Add to that a reinvigorated sense of identity, and it soars.

More so than on their first two records, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is confident in their sound. Where songs like “Maniac” and the title-track “Hysterical” follow the newly energized state of “Same Mistake”, Ounsworth and company showcase depth on Hysterical. There are contemplative moments such as on the song “Misspent Youth” and the album closer “Adam’s Song”. All it all settles in comfortably together on the album. While they may have never truly went away, you can’t help but applaud the return of CYHSY on Hysterical.

Listen to the tracks and buy this CD, Hysterical at Amazon.com. Your purchase that starts here, supports public radio station, WXPN.