Brakes
Beatific Visions

Brakes have gone all religious with their latest single, 'Beatific Visions'. Yet, this is not due to some omniscient deity hovering up above looking at their every move; nope, Brakes are simply high on life, or the inherent beauty that surrounds us constantly. Call me a caustic cynic, but one has to feel pain to understand what happiness is, and on this single, it seems Brakes have injected themselves with enough uppers in order to be able to love anything, regardless of what it is.

This makes for a hollow but summery tune; one that's catchy, I'll give them that, but only to a point. While singing such wholesome lyrical gems as "I don’t know what it is she’s got but it's got me", the band rolls through plaintive Monkeys-influenced pop – I feel if I squeezed this Beatific Vision – which is a religious ode to noting the sight of the Judeo-Christian God at the moment of death – it would break. I feel like this song is a bit too catchy, too kitsch and too lost in being happy, that is happiness to the point where it becomes annoying.

Yet, this is not a bad song, and there is nothing to complain about if you are searching for a warm, sun-kissed summer romp to make out to. I wouldn't recommend spinning this the morning after, though, especially if said actions the night before are questionable.