The early to mid-2010s saw a big shift towards indie rock and folk in the mainstream as bands like Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Iron & Wine began dominating the charts. As always, the sound quickly became oversaturated, and very few albums from that era have aged well. The Lumineers are no different as their albums were generally forgettable compared to their hits. Nevertheless, on their self-titled debut and Cleopatra, they seemed to at least have a unique take on the watered-down brand of folk pop. Some of the deeper cuts like “My Eyes” and “Gale Song” were surprisingly enjoyable and you could tell that the band members were fairly talented despite the simplistic formula. After three albums though, it’s pretty obvious where the sound would wear thin and on Brightside, The Lumineers have effectively reached a creative dead-end.
Of course, that’s not to say that Brightside is a terrible album but the most accurate descriptor would probably be inoffensive. Every song sounds copy-pasted from their previous hits and there aren’t any hidden gems this time around. There’s something really monotonous about their formula in 2022 and it’s evident that their mediocre songwriting has only taken a nosedive in quality. The melodies are still the strongest aspect of The Lumineers and songs like “Where We Are” still show their ability to make catchy hooks. But for a song that revolves around a car accident that vocalist Wesley Schultz and his wife were in, it rings unimaginably hollow with no interesting introspection beyond a platitude of “It will be ok”. There are so many moments on this album where The Lumineers could’ve breathed life into the lyrics and storytelling but they simply held themselves back.
In the end, Brightside feels like every other forgettable indie/folk pop album released in the mid-2010s. The instrumentation and melodies are serviceable and the vocal harmonies are catchy but it never delves beyond the surface level. Any attempts at personalization simply don’t exist and the vagueness of the lyrical platitudes could easily be attributed to any faceless protagonist of a fictional story. There are a few pleasant songs like “Rollercoaster” and “Never Really Mine” but that’s all they ever are: inoffensive songs that could also function as the soundtrack to an Acura commercial. I don’t think The Lumineers ever set out to be the greatest indie-folk band out there but unfortunately, Brightside is weak even by their standards. The blandness of the 30-minute runtime makes the album more of a chore than an enjoyable listen and if they keep hanging onto this singular sound, they’ll be quickly forgotten among the sea of similar acts.
Best Songs: Rollercoaster, Never Really Mine
