Review Summary: A radio-friendly pop-rock album which plays it too safe with its music and lyrics.
The Brave Don’t Run is an album by New Zealand band Midnight Youth, which safely resides within the pop rock genre while occasionally drawing inspiration from bands such as Muse and The Killers for minimal experimentation. Most of the songs are down-to-earth rock songs, with the amount of ballads and love songs one would expect from a radio-friendly band.
Lyrics on the album range from mediocre and cliché ridden to mediocre but fun. Typical lyrical themes of growing up and love are covered in songs such as “Flash” (“Cos it's true/Yes, it's true/Oh, it's true/I love you”) and “Golden Love” (“Oh, we were destined/Oh, underdone/Oh, meet me Thursday/For golden love”). The basic lyrics featured on these songs occasionally work well: some songs are undeniable catchy, such as the single “All On Our Own.” When the band stretches its artistic wings a little further, and attempts more complex song structures, the results are better. “Benjamin” uses stronger imagery (mainly pig and toast metaphors), crafting a story about a douchebag named Ben. We all know Ben, and we all hate him. While these exertions are welcome, the lyrics play it safe most of the time, just like the music.
However, there are a few songs which break from the mold ever so slightly; “Benjamin” and “Tijuana.” The former includes the only instances of brass and wind instruments on the album, while the latter can only be described as a “Knights of Cydonia” rip-off, as the song evolves at a similar pace and features a similar riff. There are enough ideas blended together that these songs aren’t entirely derivative, but the inspirations are clear. Together, these two songs show the pinnacle of this album and band, and are the only songs I would recommend listening to.
The album’s singles (which are numerous, as half the album was eventually released as singles) sound similar to rock mainstays U2 and Cold Play. “Calvary” and “All On Our Own” are easily the best singles released. They feature pack vocals and sing-along choruses, which lend themselves well to live settings, as well as an enjoyable guitar solo or two. The ballad “Golden Love” is the low point of the album, as it drains any of the momentum built by the previous two songs (“Tijuana” and “Benjamin”).
The Brave Don’t Run is too derivative and safe to be considered a good album, but by no means is it “bad,” just devoid of any creativity. There are two genuinely nice homages to classic rock acts, and two fun singles which contain all the qualities one looks for in a pop-rock song. The album is hindered by the cliché ridden love songs which litter the album, and the weak lyrics. Listen to “Tijuana” and “Benjamin” if you feel like checking out any of this band’s music. Otherwise, you’re not missing anything extraordinary.
Recommended Tracks: Tijuana, Benjamin, Calvary.
