Whether driving home a huge melody in “Way Far Back” or tying together the harmonies in the video for “Why Does It Happen,” the guitars that guide the lyrics in Wave 21’s Brace Yourself are indispensable. Although there’s a lot more to this record than the luster of its string section, there is certainly no downplaying the importance of the fretwork in Brace Yourself, and I think this makes it a bit superior to its predecessor. There’s more muscle and instrumental wit to this effort, and arguably more continuity between the players as a result of the brawn.
The lead single “Why Does It Happen” is rock-solid, but I can also say that “The White Wings of an Angel,” “Stay the Night” and “All Over & Over” would be just as fine in that capacity. All of this material is pretty sharp, with no obvious filler sticking out in the tracklist, but I will say that the poppiest moments in Brace Yourself are not hard to track down. This band sounds like they have loftier ambitions on the table than their eponymous debut initially hinted at, and they’re being put into action in this record like few would have anticipated beforehand.
There isn’t a lot of punch to the percussion in the cover of “Dreams,” the balladic “Over the Moon,” and beautiful “Whenever You’re Near,” but frankly I don’t think there needed to be for us to feel the impact of the tempo in each of these songs. I can definitely see where all of this material would probably sound a lot better in a live setting – where the band could cut loose and dive deep into the possibilities of each composition – but for the most part, they give us a good sampling of what that look would be like without having to step away from our speakers.
Brace Yourself is a little unpolished at times, but overall I think it’s a great demonstration of creativity that acknowledges all the best parts of this band’s sound and then some. The biggest thing I’m hearing in this record is a group of players very much in transition – between genres, between themes, even between narratives. There’s more internal commentary than there is observational lyricism in this record, and I want to hear where that takes this group in the future. Wave 21 have a lot to be proud of, and this LP is one of their best works so far.
Kim Muncie