Big Time Rush, “Another Life.”

Ten years that their titular Nickelodeon show ended, Big Time Rush are back with a new 10-track album, Another Life.

The release came on an already important day in the pop group’s career in its hometown of Duluth, Minn., where the quartet was honored with a “Big Time Rush Day” proclamation.

Boy bands have been around forever and the genre continues to evolve. Even the Monkees got their big break with a sitcom. While some such groups sell the pop star dream, Big Time Rush was able to tap into a demand for relatability. Like the Monkees, their on-screen personalities and real selves where seen as one and the same.

But their hockey-player-turned-artists character arcs on TV were limiting to the growth of the group as actual actual musicians, which played a role in the group’s disbandment and the show’s conclusion.

Another Life immediately brings back a sense of sonic nostalgia for the show’s viewers, transports them back to 2009 as Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Carlos PenaVega flawlessly harmonize to accompanying upbeat pop melodies. The first track, “Can’t Get Enough,” sounds like a cross between more recent Jonas Brothers material and One Direction, as they chant, “I can’t get enough of this feeling/ I can’t get enough, give me more/ Got me seein’ stars on the ceilin’/ Wanna fall in love on the floor.”

Most of the record consists of traditional pop songs about love (and lost love), longing and partying. You can get a sense for that on “I Just Want To (Party All the Time).” While Rushers (Big Time Rush fans) have grown up, these songs still resonate in a nostalgic sort of way.

The title track, which concludes the album, is arguably the deepest of the entire record, with Big Time Rush pondering, “I used to be like everybody else around me/ Yeah, driving in the fast lane, sitting in the back seat/ They don’t remember you for chances you don’t take/ So I’m’a risk it all, even if it kills me” as violins and lo-fi beats swell in the background.

There are a couple of ballads in the mix as well, such as “Ask You Tonight.” The guitar-led tune is reminiscent of a Backstreet Boys tune, with plenty of harmonizing and mellow beats. It seems to pay homage not only to the band’s history but those who inspired them. “Forget You Now,” meanwhile, discusses an all-too-common dilemma of wanting to forget someone in order to move on, but failing.

Though Big Time Rush puts most of the bubblegum pop sound of earlier years behind them on  Another Life, this album isn’t a philosophical deep-dive into the intricacies of the human psyche. Then again, if you need an escape from the news, the economy, the environment and being a grownup in general, this album hits just the right spot as a temporary escape.

It’s a fun, breezy and pleasant summer album right in time for the band’s summer tour, which will certainly provide another nostalgic jolt. Another Life is an unexpected yet welcome return not only for Big Time Rush itself but the group’s fans, who’ll come together and connect again.

Follow writer Vera Maksymiuk at Twitter.com/veramaksymiuk.