Brave Irene is the new act from Rose Melberg, who you might remember from the classic twee band, The Softies. She was also in Tiger Trap, and has done a ton of other stuff as well.
To be honest, Brave Irene sounds exactly like a Rose Melberg project. It is characterized by catchy songs done in a vaguely 1960s lo-fi frame of mind, with higher pitched female vocals and lots of harmonies. Obvious reference points include all of Ms. Melberg's previous projects, as well as The Carrots, The Besties, and, to a degree, Gold Motel. This is female pop that is bouncy and happy.
Brave Irene's debut self-titled EP tears through eight songs in under twenty minutes, so there honestly isn't that much content here. Let me go over the highpoints.
River to Sea jangles nicely, with fun vocal harmonies and an organ in the distance. This is only just over a minute and a half long, but is minute and a half well spent.
Good Ideas is organ heavy, the organ droning along like something from a Doors song. Over this Ms. Melberg sings clearly and strums away at her guitar. The other band members join her on the chorus, singing happily. Campfire is a very similar song, only with the pace kicked up a notch to from "droning" to "jaunty".
This release is short, and sweet. Perhaps too sweet, as i know that this kind of twee pop gets on some people's nerves. As someone who has enjoyed Ms. Melberg's work, i find this pleasant. However, she is not going to win over any new fans with this EP.
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