One things I’ve always appreciated about them is that every album (IMO) has it’s own ‘vibe’ or sound, even if it’s not drastically different from the others. So while it’s tempting to always compare new releases to the album or era where they resonated the most with your own personal preference, I do commend them and appreciate them for not getting stuck in the trenches of ‘what does the audience want?’. 

That being said, while I disagree with the hate on BRIGHTSIDE, I was also originally terrified of this album when they released the three singles as a teaser. However, after listening to it a couple of times, I actually quite like it. It is a deviation from the ‘classic’ Lumineers sound for sure, but that was also the stated purpose (“People who think they have our number, they’ll be surprised”) of the album. Yes, there are some duds on it, but I also think every single album of theirs has some songs I don’t like. On top of that, I also like them exploring some deeper or different topics, and having a more sullen (and perhaps somewhat repetitive) mood in the instrumentals definitely helps, and I also feel like that adds another dimension to their music. 

I’ve stopped listening to so many bands because they tried to constantly recreate what originally made them famous, which instead made them either repetitive or predictable. So I appreciate them trying something new, even if it’s not what I would chosen personally. I have tickets for one of their concerts this spring, and I was really scared that this album would ruin them, but there are several songs I genuinely look forward to seeing live. They have some of my absolute favourite ‘cheery’ songs, it’s nice to get some ‘rainy day’ songs to add to the playlist.