Alien Ant Farm, “mAntras.”

“It’s never gonna feel like the first time,” sings Dryden Mitchell of Alien Ant Farm on the opening track of the the band’s latest album, mAntras, the band’s first new material since 2015.

The lyric may be about a relationship gone sour, but it’s an accurate statement about where the band is at right now, and that’s a good thing. Flash back to AAF’s 2001 sophomore album (and major label debut), ANThology. Buoyed by a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater”-placed “Wish” and the memorable “Movies,” the band was the life of the party. A little punk rock and a little alt-rock; Alien Ant Farm has always been difficult to pin down, even on subsequent albums.

The SoCal band’s sixth studio album represents a sea change, dialing in on a hard rock sound that leans more on alt-rock than on punk. The songs are as cohesive and powerful as ever. AAF locks into the groove on moody opener “The Last Time,” the track trading in a dynamic soft-to-heavy balance. Mitchell’s vocal delivery is crisp and warm, and the band is tight, with bassist Tim Peugh delivering a jumpy bass line on the instrumental bridge.

The straightforward and introspective “Last dAntz” has Mitchell trying to reconcile his feelings about the past, and yet also works to describe a band nearing its third decade.

“I used to confuse my joy and pain/ But seasons change,” he sings. The song adds some metal-esque flourishes along the way.

The hooks are unrelenting; they continue on moody mid-tempo rocker “Fade,” featuring a sludgy nu-metal bridge that harkens back to the time the band burst on the scene. Yet “No. 1 _chAnt_” is one of the few tracks that sounds like the band’s earliest work, alongside rhythmic, pulsating verses. Acoustic rocker “Storms Over” then offers a stylistic clash of pop hooks and hard rock riffs.

“We are the reason we live with these problems,” Mitchell declares on driving rocker “So Cold,” on which he pushes his vocals to a harder rock direction that might be unfamiliar to some. Guitarist Terry Corso mixes in a soaring solo for good measure.

“What Am I Doing” is absolutely gargantuan, fusing hard rock with pop and Latin-leaning sounds. The hooks are big and the song delivers one of the highest highs on the record. “Prosperous Futures” feels more jam-centric than the rest of the record. Then, on bluesy power ballad “Glasses,” the softest track on the album, Mitchell steals the show with impassioned singing.

Maybe looking to rekindle a little ’80s magic, Alien Ant Farm offers up a memorable cover of Wham’s “Everything She Wants.” It’s not as timeless as its “Smooth Criminal” take, but the band is very good at this. The album concludes with the percussive title track. MAntras arrives out of nowhere, and it may take some in the hard rock community by surprise. This band has quietly delivered one of the best modern rock albums of the year.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.