Eliza and the Bear - Eliza and the Bear
5/10
Eliza and the Bear are riding on the coat tails of a lot of fashionable and successful bands with this, their eponymous debut. There are 11 tracks (15 on the deluxe version) and amidst the swatches of Coldplay, Mumford and Sons and Flaming Lips facing up against templates of Noah and the Whale and Arcade Fire, these anthems of love, confidence and hope are neatly sewn together with an emphasis on friendship and family.
The trumpet-laden sing-along of Lion's Heart, and the happy-clappy enthusiasm of Light It Up are fine as stand-alone packages of positivity but in reality it requires more than the passing reflection of songs like Cruel to restore an accurate representation of life's genuine heartaches and dilemmas. Without that, this album tends to descend into a feeding frenzy of serotonin-laden lightness and levity. Life, as we know, is not always that simple, and the fixes are not always quite so forthcoming.
But for those who are merely searching for an upbeat soundtrack to the good times, or want songs to link arms to and sing along with, at this summer's festivals, then these Essex boys may well become your new favourite band.
5/10
