Brightside is The Lumineers’ fourth album. Their first three albums each made the top two on the US billboard chart, so fans of the band, famous for their simple, melodic musical style, will be excited to hear their latest offering.
The album opens with the title track which threatens to be epic, especially with the drumbeat at the start but never quite makes it there. It’s slow and steady, certainly not bad but it feels like something is missing. "A.M Radio", their most recently released single, continues the pace of its predecessor. This is exactly the kind of track you will want to hear if you are a fan of the band, it’s gentle, beautiful and raw. "Where We Are" brings the tempo up and its lyrics of both sadness and hope seem perfect for the times it is being released into. "Birthday" is jaunty and fun but pretty forgettable in comparison to the rest of the tracks. "Big Shot" is reminiscent of an old music hall number with the prevalence of its piano.
"Never Really Mine" will be an instant fan favourite. Its simple composition with the focus just on the vocals and guitar allows both to shine before other elements come in to support them. "Rollercoaster" slows things down again but the "Reprise" that ends the album takes up the sonic landscape of its predecessor "Remington" perfectly. Both tracks have a lovely melody and it’s nice to hear the piano take centre stage again.
It’s a solid album, exactly what you would expect from The Lumineers with all the classic elements that have proved so popular with fans of their previous albums. There isn’t really anything new here, but most of the tracks will translate really well to live shows. It’s a little too slow in places for me and I would have liked to hear a bit more experimentation with sound but that isn’t really what this band are about and in uncertain times, there is nothing wrong with sticking to things that are familiar. If you liked their previous stuff you will find plenty to enjoy here.
The Lumineers are used to selling out their live shows and are due to begin a tour of Europe next month, hopefully they will be able to add some of these tracks to their fun live performances and complete the tour without any virus-related hindrances.
Standout tracks: "Where We Are", "Never Really Mine"
Rating - 3/5