Over their first four albums (if you count the 2010 EP Night Train), Keane managed to tread new ground with each new release.

Their first record, Hopes and Fears, put them solidly in Coldplay territory, featuring smart piano pop with earnest lyrics and soaring choruses. On Under the Iron Sea, they hardened and deepened that sound and delivered their best album yet.

2008’s Perfect Symmetry was an 80s pop pastiche, ballsy in its unapologetic embrace of synths and dated production values — and, once again, a great batch of songs. Finally, Night Train was an 8-track EP notable for its inclusion of a collaboration with Somali rapper K’Naan.

Given that history, I didn’t know what was in store with Strangeland, Keane’s latest effort, but the last thing I expected was a rehash. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what it is.

And while it’s not a problem for a band to tread the same ground (many have done that successfully over multiple albums), Keane made the mistake of releasing a markedly inferior version of their earlier work.

Strangeland specifically resembles the sound and scope of their debut record, but rather than matching that album’s quality, this one sounds like it was recorded by a Keane cover band. If the band was initially misunderstood as Coldplay-lite, what they’ve pulled off here could get them mistaken for Keane-lite.

While I’m sure these songs could grow on me over time, when I want to hear this sort of thing from Keane, I’ll reach for Hope and Fears.