I’ll be honest with you here – I was four tracks into ‘Maybe You, No One Else Worth It’ and I was ready to cast off Brave Bird and start writing my review early. Awkward vocals met decidedly offbeat and twee emo-pop and I wasn’t enjoying any of it. Yet by the time the album draws to a close I started almost cheering the band on with each track and by the end I thought I’d found my new favourite band. This is a debut album where persistence really pays off.

‘Too Late Now’ feels disjointed and a confusing mix of yelping vocals and erratic guitar riffs, whereas ‘Scared Enough’ has a smart chorus that shows promise but again it feels lost what feels like a sea of different ideas and approaches. That’s certainly the case for ‘Tired Enough’ too. It almost feels like Brave Bird are over complicating a genre that often strives on its simplicity and on the first few listens it doesn’t work for me.

So how does this album pick up? ‘Thick Skin’ slows the pace considerably and from there we start to hear Brave Bird settle down and grow into themselves. Amidst the chaos comes a track that focuses you on how effective the band can be when they build gradually and then unleash a ridiculously huge bridge. It’s arguably the strongest track on ‘Maybe You, No One Else Worth It’ and from this point onwards I start to see a different side to the album.

<a href=“http://bravebird.bandcamp.com/album/maybe-you-no-one-else-worth-it-2” data-mce-href=“http://bravebird.bandcamp.com/album/maybe-you-no-one-else-worth-it-2”>Maybe You, No One Else Worth It by Brave Bird</a>

‘Whittle Down The Days’ and ‘The Worst Things Happen’ now sound invigorating rather than strained and the latter peaks with a rather excellent and thought provoking final two minutes. The dual vocals work well to create a fairly life affirming few moments. Initially it felt worth celebrating and now on my tenth listen I’m still skipping back to re-live it again. The album doesn’t stop there either as ‘Get Over What’s Right’ is another fine example of how Brave Bird can craft a fantastically driven emo-rock track with a more dedicated structure.

‘Maybe You, No One Else Worth It’ is a journey that looks rocky at first and I don’t blame those who consider packing their bags and heading home. Stick with it though and you’ll be treated to some of the finest emo-rock I’ve heard in a long time.

4/5

‘Maybe You, No One Else Worth It’ by Brave Bird is available now on Count Your Lucky Stars Records.

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Words by Tom Beck