Growing out of lead singer James Foley’s solo work – and even performing under the name Folè for a time – Brave Young Red are the latest in the gaggle of new artists to emerge from Ayrshire. With their debut EP, Roots, due for release in March, can they rise above the competition?
Over the four songs that comprise the EP, there’s definite promise from the Ayrshire boys. Opening pairing ‘Silk & Satin’ and ‘Footprints’ are at times in danger of fading together, but the rise in tempo at the end of the second track manages to pull the first half of the EP away from the precipice of similarity, thankfully.
‘Brown Boots’ picks up where ‘Footprints’ leaves us, and continues to up the tempo, a toe-tapper that takes the band even deeper into folk territory. The influences are pretty evident throughout, with the spectre of Frightened Rabbit and Roddy Woomble looming large over the entire EP.
Brave Young Red round things off on their EP with ‘Little Dove’, which sounds not too dissimilar to the opening two tracks. ‘Roots’ is a good introduction to Brave Young Red, for those who were unfamiliar with their work as Folè – where the EP suffers though, is in the similarity shared by the tracks. None of the songs are bad (far from it, in fact) but the EP feels like it’s lacking something to make it stand out from the crowd.
More at the Brave Young Red bandcamp site
