Duran Duran, “Future Past.”

For the release of the band’s 15th studio album, Future Past, Duran Duran looked to fuse old and new, and no more is that present than on opening track “Invisible.” The song takes infectious guitar and bass riffs and lays them down with big beats and atmospheric layers. Worth checking out is a companion film that accompanies the song; a collaboration with the artificial intelligence brain Huxley to create a visual. It’s that mindset that helped shaped the creation of the band’s latest effort.

Duran Duran enlisted the help of an all-star cast to help with the creation of the record, including Tove Lo, now frequent partner Mark Ronson and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. “All of You” is a bouncy pop-rocker rooted in bass and synth grooves. Simon Le Bon’s vocals here are focused and strong, carrying the track.

The Tove Lo collab track “Give It All Up” is another interesting fusion of eras, mixing loops, beats and orchestral synths. The Swedish singer’s vocals are a tremendous addition to Le Bon’s, adding a sense of pop urgency to the upbeat track. “Giving up on leaving/ Giving up completely/ For you,” both sing in harmony. The orchestral bridge brings the track to a crescendo, leading into the final chorus.

The bass- and synth-heavy “Anniversary” is a celebration of, well, the band’s 40th anniversary together. The song honors the members’ time together as well as its fans who’ve supported them over four decades of hit-making. The track even includes some musical Easter eggs with references to past hits. John Taylor’s performance on the bass is expertly done both here and throughout the album.

The title track arrives in the form of an introspective mid-tempo synth power ballad. “Don’t you cry for what will never last/ Each moment created in time/ It’s all a future past that we are living now,” Le Bon sings on the dramatic chorus. Duran Duran succeeds at fusing eras without leaning too heavily on any of them. This means the tracks don’t rely on sounding too nostalgic or too new.

The righteous synths of “Beautiful Lies” create a dance-floor record sure to have audiences moving. Even the synths and programming on this track fuse old and new songwriting traits that create for a compelling fusion of sound. By comparison, the bouncy and uplifting “Tonight United” leans more toward a modern pop sound. This song is all about coming together. Taylor’s excellent bass work is again a highlight, carrying the groove and even mixing in a little solo flourish along the way. The Giorgio-Moroder-produced track is one of the more instantly recognizable and memorable from a lyrical perspective.

“Wing” clocks in as the longest track on the album at just short of five and a half minutes. The mid-tempo ballad rises and falls, creating a dynamic musical framework. The synths get a chance to breathe on the interlude, before Le Bon’s vocals bring the song home.  “Nothing Less” is another dramatic atmospheric mid-tempo track, featuring dark melodies and complex aesthetics and synths.

The record comes to a close with a string of collaborative tracks. The first is the fantastic “Hammerhead,” featuring a guest verse from Ivorian Doll. It’s an energetic track heavy on bass and and an array of fun synths and sounds that almost sound like an 8-bit video game. The fun track doesn’t sound like anything else on the album. The fun, upbeat and no-nonsese “More Joy!” is a collaboration with Japanese dance-punk band CHAI.

The final track, “Falling,” is a straightforward ballad featuring a superb piano contribution from former David Bowie pianist Mike Garson. It expertly mixes a nuanced backbeat synth with atmospheric sounds and Garson’s excellent piano playing.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.