Brave Giant: White, Pink & Blue review – Afraid to commit to a style

There are certain points throughout Brave Giant's debut album where you think you have the Longford four-piece pegged. The proliferation of banjo on songs like Decorate Your Mind and Lake of Anna and the trad ballad vibe of Maid of the Sea suggests that they're clearly a folk band. Yet the glittering, syncopated synths of Wizards and Witches claim otherwise, while Waves sounds like Mumford & Sons butting heads with The Killers.

Normally, this versatility would be a good thing, but Brave Giant’s problem is that they’re not quite sure which sound to fully commit to. The resultant vacillation between styles makes for an at-times inconsistent and frustrating tracklisting.

The considered pop-rock of Otherside, with its Cure-like bassline, shows real promise, and the radio-friendly Saviour straddles both styles in a more convincing fashion. Elsewhere, songs such as Leap of Faith and Pray sink into nondescript filler territory, despite frontman Podge Gill’s strong vocals.

Brave Giant are clearly adept musicians and theirs is not a lost cause, but this album lacks a sense of identity. Their bid to appeal to the masses means that no one’s quite sure what sort of band they really are.