Evan & The Brave are a fresh quartet from Sydney who, with this polished debut EP, seem prepped to become a familiar name on Australia’s bustling indie music scene.
Opening track ‘Rescuer’ immediately pulls you into the lush soundscapes the five-piece weaves together. The layered five-part vocal harmonies are something reminiscent of The Beach Boys, soaring powerfully over a backdrop of bright acoustic guitar strokes, subtle chimes of synth and an off-beat, foot-tapping percussion.
Its follow-up is the standout lead single, ‘Stay This Way’. With dreamy elongated vocals and sun-drenched instrumentals, it’s a blissfully sublime encapsulation of the troupe’s unapologetically pop-skewed sound that’s destined for high-rotation radio spins and summertime sing-alongs.
However, there is variety across the five tracks. The eponymous ‘Island’ has a darker sound palette than its more infectious, radio-ready counterparts. Here the vocal harmonies sound erringly haunting, drifting gently over the Western guitar riffs and thumping barrels of percussion. Meanwhile, ‘Something Starts’ is a little less conventional, opening with a Vampire Weekend-esque quirk before it evolves into the most quintessentially rock-sounding song on the tracklist.
The EP then unwinds with the triumphant bookending anthem ‘Wind’, which takes proceedings back to an ethereal dreamy realm with its cinematic, slow-building arrangement. It constantly jumps between breakdowns and builds, before gathering to a brilliantly paced climax that gives the EP a fittingly beautiful endnote.
Sydney quartet Evan & The Brave have dished up an accomplished debut EP that serves as a memorable first introduction to their warm, folk-tinged blend of indie pop.
-Dylan McCarthy
Island EP by Evan & The Brave out September 27 via Inertia Access
