Dropping Daylight – Brace Yourself

With their Take A Photograph EP, Dropping Daylight started making a name for themselves. They started building a buzz, getting good reviews and were even noticed by the corporate rock monster that is MTV. There was something about the infectious piano laced rock songs that caught people’s attention, and they continue that here, on their debut full length Brace Yourself.

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the CD is that three of the four tracks from the EP, Til You Feel Something, Lucy and Take A Photograph, all reappear here. Which, in a way, kind of screws over anyone who bought their EP – because now that EP only has one exclusive song and that’s Save Yourself. Add on the fact that those three are some of the weaker songs on the album, and you feel doubly cheated.

But the EP is done and in the past, we need to focus on the present and on Brace Yourself which features its fair share of ups and downs. The highlights of the album definitely come at the beginning, with Tell me, Waiting Through The Afternoon and Apologies. There, Sebastian Davin forces his vocal powers to the max, trying to keep up with the soaring piano melodies that drive the songs forward. With gallant choruses and down to earth verses, the songs switch from the majestic to grounded rock tunes instantly, pulling the listener in with all their attention.

But after those tracks, they hit a downhill slope as the listener smacks into two songs they’ve already heard from the EP, and from then on, it’s hard to turn the slope upwards. The songs are still good, heavy rock songs with piano laced through them and deceivingly harmonious vocals, but they no longer have that hook which made the first quarter of the album so memorable. The songs soon tend to blend together, with only a few outstanding tracks like Blame Me, the rest falling into the background. You find yourself skipping over certain tracks as it drags on and you just are patiently waiting for the album to come to a close. Then, to throw salt in the wound, they end with the same track they ended the EP with, Til You Feel Something.

Brace Yourself is just long, and that’s what hurts it. They haven’t figured out how to keep the listeners entertained for an whole album yet. If they took the first four songs and released it as EP, then it would be great. They’d have something new out, be able to tour and refine their writing skills to come back in a year or so and write a solid full length. But the way it is, they just weren’t ready.