The name might sound like a Ben & Jerry’s flavor, but Rainbow Kitten Surprise are actually a four-piece from the mountain town of Boone, North Carolina and — judging by their latest album — a band transformed.

They started out in the early 2010s playing a jolly, folksy brand of roots rock. But the six years between full-length studio albums that ended with 2024’s Love Hate Music Box was also a time of great change for Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and it shows: At 22 songs, Love Hate Music Box makes up for lost time and showcases a band truly experimenting with who they are.

All of a sudden there are synthesizers and a less sunny yet somehow more dance-y tone occupying center stage. If music styles were named for Magic Kingdom parks, Rainbow Kitten Surprise left Frontierland from Tomorrowland, evolving from a rootsy vibe in the mold of The Lumineers toward a sound reminiscent of Glass Animals.

These changes also paralleled developments within the band — their founding bassist left — and in the life of lead singer Ela Melo, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and who came out as trans during the hiatus. Melo, in the band’s latest official biography, credits her bipolar diagnosis with improving her mental health and creative capacities: “Ever since that’s been on the table, things have looked a lot brighter for me.”

Melo has emphasized that RKS are still rock ’n’ roll, but as she recently told Nashville Scene, ”I think there’s a little bit of darkness in here that represents some of what I was going through mentally. But, there’s also the end of the tunnel, the kind of light elements of it.”

It’s been three years since RKS played South Florida (at SunFest in 2022), and for longtime fans and noobs alike, it will be fascinating to see and hear the transformations embodied by Melo and bandmates Bozzy Keller, Ethan Goodpaster and Jess Haney. More than a return, it’s a reintroduction for Rainbow Kitten Surprise.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Michael Marcagi perform 8pm Tuesday, June 17 at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale. rksband.com ~ David Rolland