(Aisle Records)

Nondescript, lifeless pop rock – and that’s not too harsh.

The Brave are in the unfortunate position of doing nothing wrong except maybe trying too hard. The songs themselves are all too tightly arranged and performed, and Caleb James’s squeaky-clean production emphasises what could be described as a lack of spirit. Music, in one sense, is about not being tied down; The Brave, however, sound well and truly anchored by effort more so than ambition. What results is a batch of songs that could almost be the product of a computer program designed to manufacture pop rock. There are signs of promise, such as the looseness that perhaps inadvertently creeps into Information, and more of these semi-inspired moments would have added some much needed sonic diversity. Predictability is a major hallmark of the pop music form, though knowing when it’s stretched too far is difficult to define. The Brave are a reference point for predictability – the bad kind.

MATT HICKEY

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