Review Summary: (low in sugar)
While I get where the “no such thing as a guilty pleasure”-crowd is coming from, I’m not sure I agree. In a world where every third dude-with-a-guitar is shady at best, Spotify is managing to keep me (and everyone else) as a customer in spite of being pure evil, and U2 has been reduced to little more than a punchline… yeah, I’ll feel guilty. Let’s stick with U2 for a bit: since that band’s turn to the biggest grandiose Large in the 00s (or 90s, or 80s) and creating disasters such as Coldplay, the genre of alternative rock has become somewhat synonymous with “boring”, “mid”, and… “guilt-inducing”? In essence, it’s hard to dream up an album within the confines of the genre that manages to sound large and sincere at once, one where the “alternative” of the genre isn’t actively interfering with the (perceived) commercial nature of the music.
Enter Lonely The Brave: an unassuming British band whose 2014 debut
The Day’s War traded in larger-than-life choruses, tense build-ups, and conventional structures. In spite of this, the record felt entirely sincere: a feat firmly rooted in Dave Jakes’ voice first, and quality songwriting second. Unfortunately, Jakes decided to exit the band as he grew uncomfortable with the band’s rising popularity, a darker and more experimental second record notwithstanding. Since then, the band has moved forward with a different vocalist to decent results, and Jakes has mostly kept to himself besides quietly releasing a one-off solo EP. Now, after joining forces with ex-Arcane Roots member Jack Wrench as Interlaker, we can find Jakes belting huge choruses in a comfortable alt rock setting once more - and it feels right.
Truthfully, there is very little Arcane Roots DNA to be found here: sure, songs feel
slightly darker at times, but the Interlaker’s self titled debut mostly embodies a more acoustic, mid-tempo continuation of where Lonely The Brave left things after those first two records. Songs like “The Hunger” and “End Unknown” put forth some humongous and irresistibly catchy choruses, while “Ghostride” and “Carving Circles” trade in pretty shimmers and drawn-out textures. Even though the album sticks to its fairly conventional alt rock conventions throughout, Jakes and Wrench manage to cover a surprising amount of ground: the freedom afforded by a new project that clearly does not intend on touring a lot is palpable. Whether it's the political venom of “Call Out the Wolves”, a song which wrestles a magnificently memorable chorus out of more words than the average verse, or “Coming Out” allowing Interlaker to flex their heavier muscles, new and fresh ideas can be found at every turn.
Admittedly, not all of those ideas pan out perfectly: when the duo opt for more explicitly toned down textures, they have an unfortunate tendency to rely on repetition a little too heavily. “Be The One” never quite realises its potential as Jakes simply repeats the song title by way of a chorus. Similarly, “Spite of Day” features an excellent build up, but falls a little flat as its final melodies don’t hit the highs they could (and, frankly, should). Thankfully, these are minor blips on an excellent record and ultimately excusable.
Interlaker is entirely guilt-free, in spite of itself: it’s a lovely, loveable alternative rock album that marks the return of one of the genre’s best voices.
