A Hundred Million Suns is their fifth studio album, and according to Gary Lightbody, "musically, lyrically and sonically the best record we’ve made."

The album opens with ‘If There’s a Rocket Tie Me To It’, which starts with a sweet-sounding melody, slowly building up to a drum-pounding finish. It is similar to the first single to be taken from the album, ‘Take Back the City’, in that they both have catchy hooks and guitar riffs which get stuck in your head and would go down well with a stadium audience. The opening track is a good indicator of what the rest of the album is like, though it is nothing too adventurous.

'Lifeboats' and 'Set Down Your Glass' are both more simple and mellow songs than the rest of the album - they have a sweet sounding acoustic feel, and you can feel the emotion in them. They are broken up by the massive chorus of 'Please Don't Take These Photos From My Hands', which will have crowds singing along to it; another catchy song with big guitars.

Snow Patrol sometimes face the danger of getting overly repetitive and dull with their songs; 'Crack the Shutters' is a good song, but sounds like many other songs they have done before. There are some moments on this album however, such as the handclapping intro to ‘The Golden Floor’, that breaks up the repetitiveness. 'The Planets That Bend Between Us' is another song that is a bit different to their usual music - it sounds a little melancholy at first, but is actually quite uplifting. Perhaps the band were feeling more cheerful that day.

The album ends on a high note with the epic and experimental three-part finale, ‘The Lightening Strikes’. It is slightly darker and more dramatic than the rest of their album, with a collision of pianos and strings and choir-esque voices, which makes it interesting to listen to. Part 1 has an immense orchestral sound to it, with an ominous and stormy feeling that disaster is about to strike, and part 2 is equally atmospheric. Part 3 brings the disaster to a close and makes everything all good again - back to the soft rock tunes the band does so well.

The album doesn’t contain one big ‘Chasing Cars’ like hit, but it is a safe follow up to it, with the band sticking to what they are good at – big emotions and big guitar crescendos. Gary Lightbody’s fascination with the world of love is at the centre of this album, and gives him a knack for writing love songs that capture exactly how you feel, while avoiding the clichés other songwriters do not. He also has a beautifully expressive voice that never lets the songs become overly sentimental, and gives them meaning that few singers could match. I’m not sure I agree that this is the best record they have ever done, but it is certainly a good album.