3/5 stars

With the release of its album “Scars and Stories” in 2012, The Fray seemed bent on sticking with its well-known musical style. Mixing the soft tones of piano with mellow rock, the band continued to mirror the genre that allowed earlier singles like “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head” to quickly become great hits. The recent release of its fourth album, “Helios,” reveals an effort towards experimentation that breaks away from its predecessors. Although several songs offer a new variety of sound that The Fray has not tried before, they fall short of success. Instead, the songs closest to the band’s original style are the ones with the most potential.

The album opens with “Hold My Hand.” It is the epitome of The Fray’s trademark formula: soft piano tunes and soothing vocals interspersed between the harsher sounds of rock and passionate singing. It’s the message of pleading, persevering love that most of The Fray’s fans have come to intimately know. What separates this from other songs is the chorus of singers that appears halfway through, which helps to fill the track with a powerful originality. Although some may say it’s too similar to the work The Fray has done in the past, its varied melody, lyrics and chorus provide a freshness that captures the listeners’ attention.

The next few songs break away from The Fray’s original sound, beginning a more fast-paced section of the album. However, this is arguably the weakest section of the album, as it takes away from The Fray’s image and experiments in waters that probably should have been left untouched. “Love Don’t Die” was released as a single in October 2013, and it justifiably faded from the public eye. The track attempts to be fun and upbeat, but it never quite cracks the shell of banality. The next song, “Give it Away,” further strays from The Fray’s beloved emotional tunes. It adds a disco-pop element that leaves the audience wondering exactly what kind of genre The Fray is aiming for.

The album ultimately returns to more familiar ground with the song “Keep on Wanting.” It brings the music down to a slower pace and stronger beat without the confusing electronic sounds that seem to distract listeners throughout other songs. Relying primarily on percussion and guitars, the admired and commanding voice of lead singer Isaac Slade is able to shine once again. The emotion and lyrics take center stage, which works largely in the band’s favor.

The instrumental experimentation that hurts earlier parts of this album is most contrasted with the song “Wherever This Goes.” There is a strong drum beat, vocals from Slade — the group’s lead vocalist, main songwriter, pianist and co-founder — and little else. A harmonizing chorus is quickly added to the mix, but the song is stripped of most other sounds. It is dominated by a rawness that is at once the familiar passionate journey that The Fray has always promised and a new, barer side that sets it apart from the rest of the songs on the track.

“Helios” closes with “Same as You,” which incorporates more African-style drums into the slow-paced rhythms of the second half of the album. It is a soothing, although unfortunately altogether unremarkable finish. In one section, Slade chants in a monotone voice while a transcendent chorus sings, but this experimentation again falls short of anything spectacular.

The Fray is a band known for its emotional piano rock rhythms and its songs are meant for those surreal moments of summer highway driving and close-eyed ponderings on free afternoons. “Helios” experiments with a range of instruments, trying to instill many of its songs with a balance of electro that rock bands like The Killers have successfully achieved, yet this attempt falls short. The band should pride itself on the distinct sound that gave it fame in the first place while trying to add a freshness to its songs that doesn’t depart from its signature style. Although admirable originality shines through with standout tracks like “Where This Goes,” it’s evident that The Fray’s overall identity is stretching in two opposite directions.