The Bravery – Stir The Blood

After what feels like forever, New York’s The Bravery, has finally released their newest album, Stir the Blood. And it seems as though something dark has happened on their hiatus from recording– even the album name shows a change in the bands attitude. Stir the Blood pushes further and further away from their old rock-and-roll driven hit ‘€œAn Honest Mistake’€ toward a dance-punk synth sound. Stir the Blood is based on body parts, cynicism, and feelings that run through veins. Their new CD is more reminiscent of their Depeche Mode-inspired Moon album, full of keyboards and loud guitar riffs, than its rock-based counterpart, Sun. While lead singer Sam Endicott’s voice is captivating as always, the album only has one real star: ‘€œSlow Poison,’€ their first single, and the only song the band called ‘€radio worthy.’€ Hopeful fans waited for the rest of the album, but were probably let down. The only other track that comes close to noteworthy, or at least to old The Bravery sound is ‘€œAdored.’€ But even that has a negative tone with the chorus saying ‘€œbaby we were born to be let down’€. Most of the other songs just aren’t there, and some are down right creepy. ‘€œHatefuck,’€ a song about unemotional sex, has lyrics that can be a bit strong for a dance floor anthem like ‘€œyou can twist and scream into the air, no one can hear you here’€ and ‘€œso many things that I would do if I have my way with you.’€ This album is an unfortunate departure from The Bravery that we love, leaving fans fearful that they may have lost the Bravery they loved, for good.

Recommended Tracks: Slow Poison, Hatefuck, Adored

Rating: 2.2/5