[2] The main reason to go into hiatus was that, in early 2003, their lead singer Gwen Stefani started work on her 1980s-inspired new wave/dance-pop music side project, under which she had released two solo albums at the time — Love.

[3] However, she and her bandmates assured fans that No Doubt remained an ongoing musical concern and confirmed that with a successful 2009 tour that carried the band to 50 North American cities.

[5] The band reconvened at bassist Tony Kanal's personal studio in Hollywood after the tour concluded and spent the majority of 2010 writing and carefully polishing several demos.

In January 2011, No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont posted a message letting fans know that the group transitioned to the Santa Monica studio of producer Mark "Spike" Stent, who also worked on Rock Steady, to officially begin tracking the effort.

Of the 12 tracks announced at that time, the magazine lavished particular affection on "Settle Down," calling it a "party-ready reggae blast," and "One More Summer," which "updates the band's ska-pop sound with pounding dance beats, arena-size guitars and a beyond-catchy chorus.

In their announcement of the album's release date over the weekend, No Doubt elaborated that over the next several months, they would "shoot the video and start rehearsing to perform the new songs live for all of you.

The intro to "Settle Down" is a Middle Eastern themed affair that segues into the ambient noise of a crowd of people on the street before launching into a familiar trademark electronic reggae wall of sound found on No Doubt's older jams.

[4] For Jason Lipshut of Billboard, "sonically, the band balances reggae flourishes with Tony Kanal's kinetic bass movements, creating a forceful continuation of their 'Rock Steady' singles.

"[13] Andrew Unterberger of Pop Dust described it as "a six-minute, dancehall-influenced pop/rock number, with an extended dub outro and the typical No Doubt mix of attitude, vulnerability, hooks, funk and fun.

Gwen asks herself in the first few lines, eventually responding with the unequivocal "I'm fine / I'm hella positive, for real, I'm all good," and concluding in the chorus "But you can see it my eyes, you can read on my lips / I'm trying to get a hold on this / And I really mean it this time.

Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times said that, "It's a song made for summer in the Southland: big beats designed to pop out of sunroofs and rolled-down windows, to rumble the nuts and bolts of Impalas across Orange County and down Hollywood Boulevard.

"[19] Jason Lipshut of Billboard wrote that "the melodies are snipped while others are shoehorned into place, and Stefani's lyrical conversation with herself sounds more exhaustively constructed than effortless.

"[20] Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "The verses are reggae heavy, from the horns to Stefani's accented delivery.

[31][32] In the clip, each bandmate drives a distinctly decorated truck from all different parts around the globe, meeting up once again to perform a show for their family, friends and fans.

James Montgomery of MTV News declared, "The video is a kinetic collection of brilliant hues, blinking lights and, of course, some dazzling dance moves.

Directed by Sophie Muller — who's worked with the band in the past — it is a worthy successor to those clips, though it is more reminiscent of stuff like 'Hey Baby' or 'Hella Good' ... namely, it's sweaty, sexy and swaggering, not to mention a whole lot of fun.

"[33] Sophie A. Schillaci of The Hollywood Reporter says: "The video is chock full of colorful visuals, wild fashion and outrageous antics, with Stefani jumping, kicking, partying and applying lipgloss.

"[34] Crystal Bell of The Huffington Post got teary-eyed over the band's first new video in a decade: "The reunion that happens a minute and a half in is particularly memorable, as Stefani, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young are happily reunited.

"[35] Spin wrote: "The well-executed clip feels like a homecoming of sorts, as the band members embrace each other, and Stefani struts around in those kinds of tank tops she once made her signature.