It’s the time of year when (s)he’s writing his list and checking it twice. No, not Santa of course, but every music journalist in the land is writing some kind of end of year list. For me, the far more exciting and interesting lists are those detailing who to get excited about for next year. And for me, one name I firmly expect to be bandied about is this lot – Lonely The Brave.
Their Backwaters EP has been on a heavy rotation in Horses Playing Harps Towers in recent days. While reading up on them, I found a wonderfully apt description of their sound – gimmick-free rock music. I’m not sure why this resonates so clearly with me, but I think it’s spot on. Lyrically they tread some captivating ground, particularly on the title track of the EP. And besides that, they write some proper-earwormy hooks that have nestled right into my brain. They also set out their stall by covering Andrew Bird, one would think an artist that not too many of their musical ilk would consider referencing. All-in-all, an excellent EP, and a band I look forward to hearing more from, and hopefully seeing some of too.