Tom Lumley and the Brave Liaison - Sign of the Times EP
Without a doubt one of the most exciting up and coming bands around, Tom Lumley and the The Brave Liaison have been skyrocketing to astronomical heights since they jumped onto the scene in 2017.
Comprising of Tom Lumley, Jake Day, Billy Stewart and Jonny Thompson, the Cambridge band have supported some of the UK’s hottest acts around, including The Hunna, The Sherlocks, Coasts and Airways, and played on some of the biggest stages in the UK.
It’s no secret that the band are winning over the ears and hearts of some of the biggest names in the business too. Huw Stephens tipped them on his BBC Radio 1 show as ‘Ones To Watch in 2020’ and so far they’re living up to the hype. On top of that Radio X’s John Kennedy has ben giving them plenty of spins, while they’re also often supported by BBC Introducing and This Feeling, who made Casual their track of the week.
Going into 2020 and off the back of their 2019 release Casual, they’ve announced the release of their EP Sign Of The Times which is released as a full package today Friday 24 April.
Sign Of The Times comprises four tracks, 2019’s hit Casual, the recently released single Shrink, New York Paranoia and Let Go.
On the EPs deeper meaning, they added:
Each song on this EP centres around the mental health issues that many of us face on a day to day basis. By writing and releasing this body of work, we hope to strengthen the ideology in people’s minds that it’s okay to talk about what they’re going through. Social media can put copious amounts of pressure on people, as we chase an impossible ideal of someone else’s highlight reel. The breakdown of relationships that come from us spending too much time glued to our phones and not enough time connecting on a human, personal level are regrettably the signs of our times.
The opening track Shrink was released a few weeks back and is a belting piece of indie punk, it’s a bit out of kilter with the indie scene down south in that it doesn’t follow the Britpop influences of most, it would fit very well in he burgeoning Scottish music scene where the influences are more punk based, think The Dunts, The Shambolics etc.
Shrink is a fantastic track driven by super drumming and a great guitar riff that propels the song along at break neck speed, it’s one for the young guns to bounce about to. But when you dig beyond the melodies, you realise the song has a deeper meaning, it’s about the mental struggles that can go back in forth in a persons head the opening lines setting this song up with the descriptive words “I need to get some rest, it’s all in my head, I need to get some sleep and just learn to breathe cos that’s what she said, I need to take some time and take the weight of my mind because I’m losing touch, this is all too much, for this is my life in decline”.
Next up is New York Paranoia is another piece of genuine quality, another great catchy as fuck guitar riff and again deeper lyrics which belie the upbeat anthemic rhythm of the track. The subject of this one seems to be about a cheating partner “it’s not in my head…sleeping around and thinking you’d never get caught.”
It’s also got a singalong chorus “it’s not the devil in my head, it’s just the words that you said”, which will be belted back at them in the months and year ps to come.
The third track is Casual, and I’m thinking these guys know how to deliver a killer tune, they definitely know their way around guitar hooks, and deliver another fantastic arena filling rhythm and some of the most intelligent lyrics I’ve heard for a long time, Casual talks about jumping into a relationship repeating the the words “cos you’re hasty” or “that you’re hasty”.
It also delivers another fucking rip roaring chorus “it’s something we don’t talk about, it’s just a sign of the times, we won’t let it out, it’s something we don’t talk about, it’s a conversation we can do without.”
I’m now gutted that I’m listening to the final track Let Go, cos I really just want to hear more and more from them. It’s a song that has a slower pace than its predecessors on the EP, I would even go as far as a rock ballad, again it features great guitar hooks just without the blistering pace, it is a little bit of relief on the ears. Let Go has again particularly meaningful lyrics discussing the need to let go of your insecurities in order to let your mind flourish.
For a band I wasn’t overly familiar with, reviewing this EP has been a real eye opener, Tom Lumley and the Brave Liaison have a great future ahead of them if this appropriately titled EP is a sign of things to come.
The tracks deliver on everything, punchy in your face indie punk guitar riffs, catchy singalong choruses, and clever lyrics that mean the songs leave lasting impressions in your head.
Its quite simply a full on monster of an EP, get it bought, streamed, saved, whatever !!! just make sure you don’t miss out on giving these guys some serious times in your ears, you won’t fucking regret it, anthemic indie punk a it’s peak.
Tracklist
Shrink
New York Paranoia
Casual
Let Go
Give Sign of the Times a stream now:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7uexU3n7pxkNfPywbPLaRj?si=FLDnCh8MS8-Yd9IuLuEDaw
Tom Lumley and the The Brave Liaison can be followed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/TomLumleyMusic/