Who the bloody hell is Blur?

90s Britpop darlings return with the excellently melodious, “The Magic Whip, ” to show music fans that they’re more than just the band behind the “Woo-Hoo” rock song on the radio.

After a 12-year hiatus, Blur’s latest effort is a snapshot of the band’s trajectory from “Leisure” to the Gorillaz lathered “Think Tank” with a dash of adult contemporary.

The album beautifully meshed signature jangly guitar-riffs, dance-y synth tunes and heaps of melancholy.

“The Magic Whip” is a fun nod back to the 90s sound that made Blur famous.

This is not to say that the band’s sophisticated sound was cast aside, as it can be heard in “New World Towers” and “Thought I was a Spaceman,” a melodious song that showcases Blur’s adult contemporary side.

“Spaceman” is a stand out track with its palpable melancholy that automatically joins the great ranks of excellent Blur songs like, “This is a Low” or “No Distance Left to Run,” that bleed out indifference.

“Go Out,” is “The Great Escape” (1995 album) on Quaaludes. It borrows “Charmless Man’s” (off of Great Escape) “na-na-na-na’s” and puts it through a sleepy stupor.

Synth-heavy, as most Blur albums tend to be, the band experiments with new sounds and borrows from singer, Damon Albarn’s, other projects.

Blur’s eight effort struggles between celebration, social commentary and existential crises, at times critiquing consumerism and materialism.

Albarn did away with lazy love songs for this album, which is great given that sarcastic social commentary and self-criticism is the band’s forte.

The transitions between themes and tempos don’t take away the cohesiveness of the album therefore making this one of Blur’s greatest work.

“The Magic Whip” feels unapologetically like Blur and not like a bunch of forty-something rockers still trying to be Blur.

Stand Out Tracks: “Thought I was a Spaceman,” “I Broadcast,” “Ghost Ship,” “Ong Ong, “Mirrorball.”