The future didn’t look particularly bright for Cambridge rockers Lonely The Brave when their frontman and founding member David Jakes left in 2018, citing mental health reasons. For a brief period it appeared the entire future of the band was in doubt, before they dispelled their fans’ fears, recruiting Jack Bennett, who had been recording and performing music under his Grumble Bee moniker, in his place.

Now consisting of Bennett (lead vocals), Mark Trotter (lead guitar / backing vocals), Gavin Edgeley (drums / backing vocals), Andrew Bushen (bass guitar), and Ross Smithwick (rhythm guitar / backing vocals), they’ve dropped their first full-length release together named, rather fittingly, The Hope List.

Bound was the album’s lead single and is the opening track here, and it’s a fascinating offering and a sign of things to come. It’s a tense, atmospheric affair, with a simple riff and vocal that shows that Bennett was a superb choice to fill the gap left by Jakes, the new man’s voice beautifully raw and stretched across the song.

Bright Eyes is the first song that really cuts loose, cramming a massive chorus and more great vocals into its sub three-minute run time, while Keeper is the other side of the coin, a slick, well constructed number that still packs a punch. Something I Said builds from an almost eerie intro into a chest-thumping, scream-at-the-sky rollercoaster, and Open Door is gorgeously melodic.

Sonically, The Hope List doesn’t mark a huge change in direction for the band, despite their new lineup. In fact, there’s a lot here that is in keeping with their last two records, 2015’s The Day’s War and 2016’s Things Will Matter. But that’s no bad thing – Lonely The Brave didn’t need to reinvent themselves. They just had to survive their turmoil behind the scenes of the last few years and come back swinging, turning out more great music on the other side, which they’ve certainly achieved here.

The Hope List tracklist:

1. Bound

2. Distant Light

3. Bright Eyes

4. Chasing Knives

5. The Hope List

6. Keeper

7. (Untitled)

8. Something I Said

9. Open Door

10. Your Heavy Heart

11. The Harrow

Watch the official video for Open Door here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.