Carolyn Berk made a leap on last year’s I Am the West, moving her band Lovers from a traditional singer/songwriter vehicle to a synthesizer-driven act. For that album she kept one foot in both worlds, pretty much splitting the 10 tracks like two sides of vinyl — the first five songs exploring her new sound and the second half staying steady in her comfort zone of Lilith Fair friendly pop. For Lovers’ latest, Berk has almost completely shed any resemblance of what her band was pre-I Am the West by fully embracing this new synth-driven direction. Dark Light is an electronic album through and through.

The biggest sacrifice in the evolution is that of Berk’s vocals and lyrics, which no longer are the centerpiece. The band, rounded out with synths and percussion by Kerby Ferris and Emily Kingan, is more concentrated now on its electronic instrumentals rather than relying on the folk-like love tales of Berk. Even from the beginning her droning repetition of “Every time the music starts, I can feel my aching shaking heart,” on the opening track “Barnacle” is robotic and cuts in the same matter as the programmed drums. Her clever lyrics (“You hold on dear, like a barnacle on a ship of fear”) are still there, but now seem more like a passenger rather than the driving force behind the song.

Clearly, Berk’s words can still command as they do on “Figure 8.” Here she crafts a very direct anti-homophobic anthem by pleading to a same-sex partner. “They try to shame us out of loving, darling,” Berk sings over a militant drumbeat and some rumbling synths. She continues, “They try to wrap their fears around us, darling/ But they can’t make you fear your own strength.” The surrounding players may change and the instruments become more high tech, but Carolyn Berk still writes from the heart.

If there were an action that declares Lovers’ new direction, it would be the inclusion of “Peppermint.” When this song first appeared back in 2001 it was a haunting acoustic lullaby accompanied by a string section. Here it reappears with a backdrop that sounds like a laser show from a Sunday afternoon monster truck rally. Bulked up on all levels, it still manages to maintain a melancholy tone thanks to its slowed pace.

As the album name applies, Dark Light hits best when Berk and company are able to balance both identities. The track “To Be a Dancer (I Am Alive)” features Berk strumming together a simple tale of needing to escape mundane life (“It’s all self-defeat/ There’s no poetry in this town”) as the electronic melody builds with the song’s progression. The lyrics are meaningful and the rhythm is heavy on the dance scale. Lovers has definitely changed its tune, but it’s the shadow of its former self that keeps the band steady and moving forward.