“Pilot” is the first single offered from Brigade’s forthcoming album Come Morning We Fight, and it sees them take the American emo-rock outfits on at their own game.
What may come as a surprise is how well Brigade come out of the conflict. The soaring emotional guitar epic is an American style by default, just because so many of the big names come from that side of the pond. The downside being that it became a tired formula within months – but that doesn’t stop young bands from both sides of the Atlantic trying their hand at reinventing or reinvigorating it.
“Pilot” itself certainly couldn’t be described as a reinvention, but Brigade manage to stand out from the pack by being themselves – there are no fake Californian accents on Will Simpson’s lead vocals, and while the dynamics and content of the track are generic cookie-cutter radiemo, “Pilot” has a very British tinge to it, the guitar tone and delivery harking back to the alt-rock of the mid-nineties as much as the power-punk of more recent years.
B-side “Yes It Is” is the winning track for my money, though it doesn’t have the radio-friendliness of “Pilot” thanks to some pacey guitar riffs between the big open-chord chorus moments adding some driving force to the proceedings. It’s also that little bit less wimpy without compromising its core themes of passive rebellion … oh, and “Yes It Is” has a hook you can sing along to without worrying someone might catch you at it.
With “Pilot” showcasing their parent-friendly side and “Yes It Is” as their slightly more mature and credible edge, Brigade certainly have something to offer. We’ll have to wait for Come Morning We Fight before we see just how much they’ve got.
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