Placebo, “Never Let Me Go.”

U.K. alt-rockers Placebo have always been unafraid to address controversial topics. Their return, then, comes at a fitting time, given how much uncertainty, division and strife is prevalent in the world today. On their first record in nearly a decade, Placebo founders Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal have tapped into the cultural urgency of the moment to craft a poignant and timely album about sexuality, surveillance and environmental ruin.

Placebo has influenced countless bands that followed, so it’s fascinating to hear how the band’s own sound has continued to evolve over the years. On Never Let Me Go, the eclectic rockers explore a variety of stylistic avenues to help them deliver their message.

Time has not altered Molko’s voice, with its signature vulnerability and slight nasally sound. Some tracks are moody and experimental, while others are riff-forward jams. The album’s opening track, “Forever Chemicals,” which starts with an unearthly distorted harp loop, jumps between straight-ahead guitar riffs and more experimental programmed sounds. The synth-heavy “Beautiful James” is an anthemic rallying cry for non-heteronormative relationships, a subject that Placebo was already wading into years before the band hit it big. “Don’t want to see myself/ Just want to conceal myself,” Molko sings.

Things get even heavier on the “Hugz,” which the band has said was inspired by a line from British TV show “Doctor Who” (when asked for a hug, Peter Capaldi’s character said, “It’s just a way of hiding your face”). “Hugz” finds Molko singing about the struggles of identity and feeling confident in one’s own skin. Molko has said he felt that the band had gotten too commercial while touring its greatest hits album. Afterward, he wanted to lean into tackling heavier subject matter. That’s on display for the duration of Never Let Me Go.

Things slow down to more of a mid-tempo groove on “Happy Birthday in the Sky” as Molko repeats the refrain, “I want my medicine, give me my medicine,” throughout the dark track. The tone shifts for “The Prodigal,” which features intricate “Eleanor-Rigby”-esque string arrangements alongside the band’s alt-rock melodies. Much of Molko’s inspiration for his societal critiques here center on his concerns over surveillance, both domestically and in a broader, global sense. The singer digs deep into the subject on the brooding and dramatic “Surrounded By Spies,” which criticizes the way in which we keep close watch on each other and are surveilled by our leaders. “Try Better Next Time” takes a different tack as a melody-forward track, this time decrying the planet’s ongoing environmental crisis. “Mother Nature has grown extremely weary of us,” Molko sings.

The upbeat “Sad With Reggae” takes on a more pop-influenced personality, driven by a bass groove to start before the guitars turn up and the band drives the track home. The pace picks up on the jumpy “Twin Demons,” a guitar-driven number. That mood continues on “Chemtrails,” which despite the title, doesn’t seem to be about the theory popular among conspiracy theorists. Things slow down for the first time on the piano ballad “This Is What You Wanted.” It’s urgent and immediate, slowly gaining momentum as it builds. Following it is “Went Missing,” a beautifully constructed rhythmic ballad that features a tastefully restrained guitar solo.

Placebo’s latest work is varied and expansive with plenty to go into for long-time fans of the band as well as newer listeners. Never Let Me Go succeeds in blending the more challenging and experimental tracks with those that are more accessible. The album closes on the spacey and futuristic “Fix Yourself,” which leaves Molko offering a final word of advice before the band departs: “Fix yourself instead of someone else.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.