The Dream Syndicate's 2017 comeback album, How Did I Find Myself Here?, was a work that captured the feel of Steve Wynn's groundbreaking band of the '80s far more than its sound, with a broad, adventurous approach that pushed their sound far closer to psychedelia that it had gone in their original incarnation. (The "eyeballs over the desert" cover art is also significantly more lysergic than one might expect.) If Wynn was hoping to establish a distinct sonic identity for the Dream Syndicate in the 21st century, he's certainly stuck to his guns, as 2019's These Times is very much of a piece with How Did I Find Myself Here?, and a very different beast than the band with Karl Precoda or Paul B. Cutler on lead guitar. Then again, if smart songwriting and a lot of guitar have always been at the root of this group's formula, These Times more than qualifies, and it's a tighter and more exciting set than How Did I Find Myself Here? Wynn and his bandmates -- guitarist Jason Victor, keyboardist Chris Cacavas, bassist Mark Walton, and drummer Dennis Duck -- are better unified and more emphatic here, whether they're laying into the rocking title cut, floating on a cloud of buzzy guitars on "Bullet Holes," dipping into their pop influences on "Recovery Mode," or approximating something like a dance groove on "Black Light." The interplay between Victor's leads and Wynn's rhythm guitar is often inspired, with Victor showing he's more than up to the task of holding his own in a great guitar band, as Cacavas accents the performances with style and smarts, and Walton and Duck lay down an implacable rhythm that's solid and full of life. "The Whole World's Watching" and "Treading Water Underneath the Stars" also confirm that this band can stretch out and explore the nooks and crannies of a tune in a way that's theirs alone and without losing their place en route. Any fan who has been paying attention already knows the Dream Syndicate aren't going to make another album that sounds like The Days of Wine and Roses (they haven't since 1982), and it's foolish to expect that. But they don't really need to when they're capable of making music as good as These Times; this is passionate and rewarding music from artists still exploring new territory with truly satisfying results.