Kings of Leon turn to Harry Styles’ ­producer to rekindle a sense of fun

Pickings have been lean of late, however; the sound of a band that ran out of ideas in the wake of Only By the Night, the album that featured the ubiquitous Sex on Fire.

Can We Please Have Fun, their ninth album is, for the most part, the sound of band reborn. The title, apparently, is pointed — recent albums have been a chore to make and the results sound like it. This one is much more spirited and, yes, the sound of a band having plenty of fun.

It helps that they’ve given plenty of control to the producer, Kid Harpoon, whose most recent big job was Harry Styles’ hugely popular Harry’s House album. The result is immediately obvious — a much brighter, cleaner sound than before. And there’s room for synths amid the band’s straight-up rock.

Often, it sounds as though they’re living up to the promise of their title. Some will be disappointed by the comparative absence of the old, sludgy southern rock, although the anthemic Mustang should satisfy them. And it’s bound to be aired when the Followill clan play Marlay Park in Dublin on July 6.

Angus and Julia Stone also play Dublin — they’re at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on May 26 — and they’ve a smart new album to bring on the road too.

The title of the Australian siblings’ sixth album, Cape Forestier, is derived from a Tasmanian peninsula.

They’ve been playing together since their late teens 20 years ago and this is their first album in seven years. On this one, their sound is homespun, unadorned and largely built around acoustic guitar. The siblings take turns on lead vocals. Julia’s is the more captivating and many listeners will be reminded of Stevie Nicks in her pomp — and that’s never a bad thing.

A sunny optimism is present throughout and, when taken in isolation, the songs are impressively done. The lo-fi My Little Anchor is especially captivating, especially when their voices mesh together, and the opening song Losing You, boasts arrangements that are beautifully textured.

As an album, however, the lack of variation quickly becomes apparent and the tempo rarely changes. Still, it would be churlish to deny the pair’s knack for delivering well-crafted songs, even if they never stray beyond their comfort zones.