Belle Histoire have made quite the progression from their EP ‘I Can Tell‘. Now, in line with the predictions made throughout that review, the band have grown, expanded, and delivered on the potential they promised throughout the release. ‘Dreamers’ is an album which will have audiences listening repeatedly and left to wonder just why they’ve not been introduced beforehand.
‘Dreamers’ is full of feel-good, alt-rock, each track different from the last and showcasing their various influences, styles and capabilities. Belle Histoire are the rare female-fronted group that won’t draw comparisons to other, more familiar names, and they’ll still go on to make a name for themselves purely on their own talent and credibility – most notably for the soaring harmonies and choruses throughout.
That said, the ordering of the album could be better thought out. The first half of the album is populated by more up-tempo tracks, whilst the slower pieces take residence in the second half, which gives ‘Dreamers’ a bit of a drag felt throughout the latter moments of the album. Another oddity is that Belle Histoire’s backing vocals are more than satisfactory in tracks such as ‘Kids’ and ‘See You Again’, so it’s a little bewildering that these aren’t used to their full potential in more than just these occasions. A solid effort, but Belle Histoire still have far more to give on future releases – ones that we’ll be looking forward to.
CHERI FAULKNER