Better Than Ezra, “Super Magick.”

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since we had a new record from Better Than Ezra. The New Orleans band’s albums have been reliably excellent since the alt-rockers burst onto the scene in the ’90s with Deluxe, but frontman Kevin Griffin’s been busy the last few years. From writing books to founding a music festival and getting married, the gap since 2014’s All Together Now to the band’s 10th, Super Magick, is understandable.

Mainly co-produced by Griffin and Emery Dobyns (Jewel, Sia), Super Magick—for all its occult-looking cover art—is all about the magic of everyday life and not taking anything for granted.

“Live a Little” is about seizing the day; an upbeat guitar-based tune with manic handclaps and “woo-hoos,” it doesn’t beat around the bush about its point. “You gotta wake up every morning/ See the day as a gift/ You gotta check that bucket list/ Before you go to the crypt,” Griffin sings.

The frontman, who also teaches songwriting, even tweaks himself a little with the line, “So don’t bore us, hit the chorus.” (Then, of course, he does.) He flexes his Rolodex a few times on the album; he cowrote this song with Steve Aiello of 30 Seconds to Mars and Chaz Cardigan (of TikTok and Netflix fame).

On “Show Em Up,” which could almost be mistaken for a Cold War Kids song with its gospel piano stomp, Griffin sings about clearing obstacles in your path, while “feeling stronger than you ever were before.” “You gotta show ‘em up before you knock ’em down,” he sings on the joyous chorus.

The anthemic “Grateful” acknowledges that sometimes life can be a struggle, but Griffin exhorts listeners to try anyway. “I’m gonna be grateful every day/ Make a little wave, then we’ll ride it,” he sings. The song, with its mix of Americana and hip-hop, was produced by Nashville’s Andrew Petroff (Lainey Wilson, Meg McRee) and was originally released as a standalone single in 2018.

It’s not all motivational speaking, however. Super Magick veers off the path for the jokey “Contact High,” which sets its scene at Pioneertown, Calif. bar Pappy & Harriet’s, and weaves the tale of a woman so spectacular, she could “make a dead man grab his heart.” Surely this line is a Rolling Stones nod, as is the countrified style of the song. Even as she comes off as a cosmic stunner, this woman is a bit of a mess, too. “And now you’re reaching out for my guitar/ As you’re falling right off the bar,” Griffin sings, and suddenly she could be any woman who’s had a few too many at a show.

The tender “This Time” is a delicate, piano-based ballad about the uncertainty of new love that was cowritten by singer-songwriter Michelle Lewis and the late, great Michael Busbee (Carly Pearce, Maren Morris). “After all the empty starts and beautiful illusions, how can I be sure you’re even here?” Griffin asks, and his voice has never sounded better than it does on this song.

The only place the album really falters is, awkwardly enough, on opening track “Mystified,” which tells the tale of a girl from Topeka who moves to San Francisco and becomes “another sad story in the Tenderloin.” (Bonus points for the Lodi reference; it may be the Central Valley’s best reference since CCR’s “Stuck in Lodi Again”).

Cowritten with Henry Brill (Phantogram, Rhys Lewis), it’s a little Springsteen-esque, with a chromatic descending riff (although it’s got ‘80s-ish synths rather than piano). The music is good, and the hook is great, but the lyrics are a little dicey (the repetition of “Topeka” alone is cringe-inducing), and the story has no real lesson or ending (happy or otherwise): “I’ll leave it all to you to make up your mind,” Griffin sings.

BTE’s success has continued long past its first big single, 1995’s “Good,” because the band and the songs have always been rock solid. Despite every obstacle in the book (labels collapsing, members dying or leaving), it has endured as both a studio band and a well-loved live act. (Who remembers their beloved “Game of Thrones” song?)

The band’s lineup since 2009 has included original bassist Tom Drummond, guitarist-keyboardist James Arthur Payne, Jr., and drummer Michael Jerome (he replaced original drummer Travis McNabb, who left amicably to play for Sugarland). Longtime Better than Ezra fans will be glad to hear “Live a Little” and “Grateful,” which are already fan favorites, and will definitely think Super Magick was worth the 10-year wait.

Follow Rachel Alm on Twitter at @thouzenfold, Instagram at @thousandfold, and Bluesky at @thousandfold.bsky.social.