How do I put it.. like, the music itself isn't bad, right? They've certainly improved, I can definitely agree with that. And same with the music having an identity specific to each album. I can tell songs apart from the composition and production styles, but even then the songs still manage to blur between one another somehow if that makes sense.
After having listened to so much of their music, I started to make comparisons with a lot of the new stuff like "oh it's like Messengers and Found in Far Away Places combined" or "it's Phantom Anthem and Leveler with a touch of Rescue and Restore" and.. that kinda lays out why I wasn't enjoying these recent songs. They sound like they trying to copy themselves and put a new twist on it rather than trying to come up a new direction to go in.
There's stuff behind the scenes like Dustin taking a bigger lead now with playing bass, guitar, and screaming and singing.. I'm sure that spices things up for them as a band, but the overall product is still too familiar to what they've already been doing for a listener like me.
In conclusion, surf rock ABR was a good time for me