Remember when Rogue Wave were an indie band? Well, now Rogue Wave are back to prove that the major-label debut curse still holds true. Whereas 2005’s Descended Like Vultures sounded like an intimate bedroom recording by a group of indie-rock wannabes, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate is a much more polished affair, more often than not sounding like a network TV soundtrack of sorts; it’s often difficult to listen to songs like “Harmonium” or “Like I Needed” without imagining them playing in the closing credits of an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Of course, that’s not to say that Rogue Wave have completely sacrificed their songwriting talents for mainstream stardom; both “Fantasies and “Phonytown” have a nice Shins-like feel to them, and “Missed” features a dizzyingly hypnotic guitar part that sounds as if it were written for a sitar. But these moments are few and far between on Heaven’s Gate, outnumbered by the kind of adult alternative soft rock you might find playing in your dad’s car stereo (Rogue Wave’s newfound home, Brushfire Records, is, after all, owned by Jack Johnson). The band’s drastic change in sound is also thanks in no small part to new producer Roger Moutenot (best known for working with Yo La Tengo), who prefers to gloss over the subtleties that made Rogue Wave’s past records so enjoyable in favor of a slick arena-rock sound.

So if it’s unpretentious indie rock you seek, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate will be severely disappointing. But luckily, Rogue Wave still know how to write catchy hooks, and if you can get past the band’s newly adopted U2-meets-Coldplay vibe, fans of their previous work will find that Rogue Wave still write as tuneful, memorable songs as always. It’s just a shame that they needed this much production to prove it.