Consistently 'wack'

I have a special place in my heart for The Lonely Island — the group’s lyrics exchanged over text prompted an ex-boyfriend’s mother to ask that he please break up with me. But for a group that’s made bank on lyrics about penetrating giant fish, consistency is one word to describe their albums.

Almost to a fault.

The group’s latest, self-proclaimed “wack” album has the same raunchy spit-take humor, just different jokes. If you’re looking for stylistic progression, you’ve got the wrong guys. The boys’ vocals are what you’ve come to expect: Jorma’s sly aggression, Akiva’s zany shouts, Andy’s sardonically whispered seduction. They complement each other well, as they should, having had years to hone their brand of ironic arrogance.

From track one, it’s obvious this project was a labor of love. And that flipping the script is what these boys do best. The “Dramatic Introduction” is exactly what it sounds like. Almost. At first an inspiring, echo-y montage of the group’s awards, it transitions into horrid-yet-hilarious obituaries. The precedent is then officially set for ensuing silliness.

The rhymes are clever enough (or stupid enough, depending on your point of view) to hold up without the SNL skits. “Spring Break Anthem,” a sort of annoyingly bro-ish satire of college partying, steadily becomes about planning a tasteful gay wedding. Rarely is there an endearingly catchy tune about getting laid that chants, “Let’s get fucked up, then find Mr. Right … ”

As for the new material, it’s typical Lonely Island — melodic bridges and goofy spoken interludes. And profanity. Lots and lots of profanity (except for the purposefully clean “Don’t Give A Honk”).

The guest features are as comically nonsensical as ever, if not hitting too hard upon repeated themes. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong singing how difficult it is to run New York is basically a really specific version of “Like A Boss.” Although Pharrell’s appearance on a track about the promiscuity of hugs is a welcome surprise, its audible similarity to the first album’s “Punch You In the Jeans” is flat-out referenced by the artists.

Sharing each song’s puns would spoil the whole shock-and-awe gimmick, but while these boys haven’t lost their edge, it’s not any sharper. Whatever opinion you had of The Lonely Island before this album, good or bad, won’t be altered. The humor isn’t exactly refreshing, but for a personal brand, these guys have “got the game on lock; toy chest.”