Why you should join the Her Brothers ‘Tribe’

Vancouver rockers, Her Brothers, dropped their sophomore album Tribe earlier today and I’ve got to tell you this is an album you want in your music collection.

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the kind of sound that Her Brothers have on this album. I’ve been listening to Tribe for the better part of the last week and still can’t place it into one specific category. Tribe is best described as a dreamlike musical journey.

The album starts with a gentle instrumental journey aptly entitled “Woman”, this song makes me think of something you would’ve heard in the late 80s or early 90s. The journey continues with “Human”, this song picks up the energy but sticks to the retro theme while still bringing a modern theme to their sound that reminds me a lot of another Vancouver-area group, Hedley.

The great thing about this album is the range of musical styles that come through. The fourth track “Sky Is Falling” has a big feel to it, I can picture this song being performed on a stage with a choir. If I had to pick a favourite track on this album this one would come very close.

Back in the 80s there was so much synth in the music it almost got to the point of annoying. Her Brothers has found a way to bring synth back and make it feel and sound just right. Take the song “Pressure”, this mostly instrumental track has to be one of the most calming pieces of music I’ve heard in a long time. You can just close your eyes when listening to it and feel the pressure lift off your shoulders.

As we hit track six things just keep getting better. “Stay” is another song that takes me back to the late 80s early 90s with it’s synth themes and anthem-like choruses.

Another easy favourite, for me, on this album is “Believe”. It’s one of those songs that will easily get stuck in your head.

What I really like about this album is the instrumental breaks throughout. Just when the heart starts pumping they throw in a relaxing instrumental number. After a few minutes of soothing your heart-rate back down to normal levels they nail you with “Tribe”, the title track and easily my favourite track on the entire album. It’s a far cry from the synthy retro tracks that make up the first half of the album. “Tribe” is a rockin’ tune that will get you pumped right back up and get your head banging.

“Innocent” takes the retro feel and marries it to the more modern rock sound and it works really well. Another song with catchy lyrics that will be stuck in your head for a few weeks at least.

As the album winds down it delivers a great ballad “Swim Across The Ocean” nested right in the middle of this song is one hell of a guitar solo which makes it even better.

The album closes out with “Sentimental Lovers” another chorus heavy track that would play out really well live. I love the simplicity of this track, it really puts the spotlight on Gabe Penner’s lead vocals. It’s the perfect closer to a fantastic album.

If you’ve never heard of Her Brothers before this is the perfect album to wet your appetite with. You can listen to it over and over and it never seems to tire. Every time I’ve listened to it I’ve discovered whole new elements that I missed the previous time. The next priority is getting Her Bothers out on the road so those of us in the Eastern half of the country can enjoy their live show as well.

Tribe is available now, you can buy your copy on iTunes or directly from the band here!

[yasr_overall_rating]