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Ezra Furman & the Harpoons charge the national music scene with a mysterious power as they tour with their latest album. The group released their third album Mysterious Power April 5. The album juxtaposes the past and present. Through his songs, lead vocalist and lyricist Ezra Furman blends the experiences of young, emotional people navigating the 21st century with musical inspiration from the bygone days of yesteryear.

Mysterious Power encompasses the scope of human emotion from positive to negative sentiments. Some songs will strike listeners as humble and calm while others may seem out-of-control or egotistical, Furman said in a recent interview with The Badger Herald. Songs like “Teenage Wasteland” and “Mysterious Power” represent the polar expressions presented on the album.

“I think what ties it together is a few things. There’s a yearning for something bigger then yourself,” Furman said.

The album is also deeply personal for Furman and conveys an overall sense of displacement.

“A lot of it’s about homelessness,” Furman said. “A lot of the songs were written when I was without my own permanent home, staying on people’s couches or always in the touring van.”

The title track captures the spirituality in formative moments that inspired Furman.

“A moment when you feel transported, you feel totally different and totally unselfish. It’s as if an external, strange, mysterious power has come over you, and you’re incredibly alive in this moment,” Furman said. “”You can’t ignore wonder and the unknown. That’s important stuff when you’re talking about what makes people human.”

“Mysterious Power,” the song, celebrates the rare beauty in simple acts such as listening to music or praying. The lyrics of the song depict transcendence through contemplation. Old-timey keys lines compliment the unapologetic expressions of love that dot the track.

Mysterious Power differs notably from previous releases. The Harpoons spent more time developing each track musically, attempting to create landscapes of sound by using different amps, guitars and effects. The lyrics also forward a crystallized nugget of emotion in each song.

“I think the songs are a bit different because they’re more focused,” Furman said. “The other ones were all over the place.”

Furman’s first two CDs Banging Down the Doors and Inside the Human Body forwarded a mix of anger, happiness, exuberance and bitterness in each track Furman said.

Sentiments are clearly separated on the new album. The energy of The Clash paired with Franz Ferdinand-esque instrumentals channeled through “Hard Time in a Terrible Land” departs markedly from the dreamy, innocence of “Mysterious Power.”

Immediately after finishing their sophomore album Inside the Human Body, Furman was struck by the nagging feeling he forgot something. That something was the brand of starry-eyed, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll featured on the new album.

Furman channeled characters like Brian Wilson and Buddy Holly to create easily accessible songs that discuss more weighty topics including god, love and eternity. The soft hopefulness of “Wild Rosemarie” and nearly tangible yearning of Mysterious Power present Furman’s interpretations of ’50s melodies infused with a contemporary message.

Material from Mysterious Power will remind listeners of an era when the rock ballads were sweeter and the rebellion louder. The title track will transport listeners to the twilight showing at a 1950s drive-in theater. As audiences imagine the screen flickering to life and the last beams of sunlight bouncing off the hood of a 1957 Chevy, listeners can’t help but bask in the ‘mysterious power’ of reinterpreted musical nostalgia.

Fresh off their fourth visit to SXSW, Ezra Furman & the Harpoons will play The Frequency Friday, April 22. Doors open at 8:30. Tristen & The Apache Relay will open. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.