Review: Brave Rival 'Life's Machine'

Brave Rival

By Mike O’Cull

Muscled-up UK blues/rock crew Brave Rival bring a ton of original flavor to their smashing new debut album Life’s Machine. The full-length set drops May 6th, 2022 and contains the kind of musical fire not often seen in these parts or any other.

Brave Rival builds its sound on the intertwining voices of co-lead singers Lindsey Bonnick and Chloe Josephine. Two singers up front is an unusual tactic but it makes perfect sense once you hear it for yourself. The band behind them is capable of writing and riffing with the best, rising to the challenge of energizing this pair of voices and crafting unforgettable tunes. Life’s Machine was produced by rapidly emerging British mix master Tarrant Shepherd. Shepherd was an outstanding choice for this project, as he’s on the same upward trajectory the band is and all involved put themselves fully into making this record soar.

Brave Rival have been snapping necks and cashing checks since first coming together in 2019. They were quickly nominated for Breakthrough Act 2019 by Get Ready To Rock Radio and were featured in Raw Ramp Magazine as one of the Top 20 Bands To Watch In 2020. They drew attention with an original style that combined elements of John Mayer, Aretha Franklin, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and Tedeschi Trucks. Their music is at once new yet familiar, putting down a seductive vibe that pulls in new fans like a tractor beam. The band’s efforts to release their debut studio album were slowed down by the pandemic, like everything else in the world, but it’s here now and Brave Rival is primed and ready to bring it to every set of headphones in town.

Life’s Machine jumps off with the absolutely slamming rock and roll of “Heart Attack.” It’s the kind of supremely-energetic song that will get you a speeding ticket if you let it take control and it goes so hard that you won’t care. Guitarist Ed Clarke is a riff generator of the highest order and burns this track all the way down on lead and rhythm. Lindsey Bonnick and Chloe Josephine blow down the walls on vocals, driven to their brink by the guts and glory of Donna Peters (drums, percussion) and

Billy Dedman (bass). Watch out for the Pink Floyd breakdown in the middle that adds headspace to this otherwise bare knuckle cut.

“Guilty Love” is the best 80s radio hit you haven’t heard yet and an example of a perfectly moody rock tune with big hooks. The vocals are off the chain and the guitar work is crunchy and precise. Donna Peters pummels her drums into submission here and throughout these tracks, adding the cracking grooves no band can exist without. Peters also shines on the pumping “Run And Hide.”

Watch “Heart Attack”

“What’s Your Name Again” is a heavy, almost grunge jam about a blackout drunk and the morning-after blues. Ed Clarke’s snarling slide guitar is the ideal support system for this tale of self-inflicted amnesia and helps make this song relatable to a lot of people. If you’ve ever had to ask the titular question first thing in the AM, you know what I mean.

The haunting “Long Time Coming” is an epically soulful ballad about missing home and family that will pull at your inner being. The track builds into a majestic experience supported by six additional vocalists dubbed The Bravian Choir. The Choir was captured at St Mary’s Church in Portsmouth and their stunning voices combined with the natural acoustics of the church give this one an otherworldly quality that’s immediately addicting. Make sure you also spend time with “Secrets” and “Thin Ice.” Brave Rival is a one-of-a-kind group making a big noise and looking at a bright future. Put your shades on and join the party.