Every so often, the hype trail picks up a band that for those not in the know seemingly come out of nowhere. Lonely The Brave are an exciting band. Their brand of epic rock hits hard in all the right places. The band recently joined the ranks at Hassle Records and as a result are putting out ‘Backroads’ their first proper release on the label.
Up first is the title track ‘Backroads’ which isn’t the strongest of the four we have on offer here but it does a decent enough job of whetting the appetite of the listener.
It’s the middle double whammy of ‘Deserter’ and ‘Black Saucers’ that really prove this bands worth, the former is a brooding number that builds and builds to a glorious conclusion while the latter is fast, frantic and fucking excellent. From the moment the vocals of David Jakes kick in, basically, you’re moshing and the chorus? Well that’ll hit you in the face with the force of a tonne of bricks. The band know their way around a good melody and it’s none more so evident than in ‘Black Saucers.’
Things end on a quieter note with ‘Hope There’s Someone’ a song in which the vocals take a something of step back and the listener is introduced to the rest of the band. It’s atmospheric if a little bit of an underwhelming finish.
Overall, Lonely The Brave are one of the more exciting British bands out there today. They’re still an extremely raw band but once they get a handle on what it is they’re building towards, they could be unstoppable. I’m talking the next big British band. Here’s hoping.
CHRIS MARSHMAN