Wolf’s Law, Welsh rock band The Joy Formidable’s previous album, arrived in early 2013, leaving a uncertain gap in the musicians’ output. Since that release, the band has created their own record label and augmented the dramatic fervor of their songs to an even grander degree. Hitch, the group’s third album, invests itself in a balance of difference styles and tones, leaning on the sensibility of band’s boisterous live shows in the production (which was helmed by the musicians themselves). Songs like “The Brook” and “The Last Thing on My Mind” veer from melodic acoustic moments to lavish layers of sound that rise and fall with singer Ritzy Bryan’s voice. There are quiet and still moments embedded throughout as well, like “Underneath the Petal,” which uses sparse piano notes to evoke a hauntingly emotional mood. It feels like a new chapter for the musicians, whose previous two albums have been more unabashedly rock-and-roll and less experimentally toned. But still, as Hitch opens with the surging “A Second in White,” there’s a familiarity that lingers, reminding you that The Joy Formidable have been missed in the past few years.