One thing you might think of when you first listen to Charge of the Light Brigade is: “Where have I heard this before?” Not the lyrics, just the sound of it all. Lead singer and songwriter Luke Sneyd has such a comfortable vocal delivery that you’ll think you’ve been listening to his records for years. Although Sneyd himself has put out his own solo releases, Charge of the Light Brigade’s debut EP We Haven’t Been Properly Introduced surfaced this past summer. Despite its familiarity, it’s a fresh, new release.
Not super familiar in the States (but making strides in Canada), Charge of the Light Brigade formed recently as Sneyd, producer Marc Koecher, bassist Jason Eagan, and drummer Zack Mykula came together from different projects to form this collaboration. The result is a blend of rock, punk, and pop, with lyrics largely about love.
“Emotionally, I’m usually writing in the key of defeatist romantic,” Sneyd says, in regards to writing The Defiant Ones. “Love is redemptive, inspiring, and an unending source of pain. You can never really reconcile those things, but you can put them under one roof and live with them a long while. Finding what’s good, fighting the good fight, not being dictated to, those are the things that inspire us, and that’s what The Defiant Ones is all about.”
The debut LP hits streets this fall, as the band is hard at work in the studio putting on the finishing touches. Sneyd promises that the sound should be pretty diverse, too, insisting that it will “run a gamut of rock and pop, with some nods to prog and synth-pop.”
For a preview, look no further than their recent EP, which includes the snare drum stomping, “Charge!!”, where Sneyd boasts that he will ”die fast, live long, every day, gonna sing my song.” It’s definitely one of the more upbeat tunes on the album. Then there’s the rather slow yet anthemic “Fastest of the Losers” that works off this “defeatist romantic” writing style. But, you can’t ignore the first single, “Young Love”, as it’s a very radio friendly tune that just so happens to fall on the pop side of things. The chorus will break your bones, too.
Now, every band has its share of influences, and Charge of the Light Brigade is no different. Arcade Fire, Muse, Social Distortion, Joe Jackson, and The Beatles, all make up the band’s favorites. But not all. In fact, one of the newer tracks dabbles with a sound that’s very Green Day meets Elvis Costello, which should prove interesting. Then again, the future for this band is interesting enough. Judging from their EP and their critically sound live performances, things could take off for them soon. This type of success shouldn’t feel too surreal for the guys, as the entire band has been in this business for quite some time, but it’ll sure feel right. Together, with the experience they have, there’s no doubt they can continue to craft a sound that’s familiar, yet experimental, different, and polished. That’s the future, though. For now, enjoy their EP and look out for The Defiant Ones this fall.
Charge!
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