Back in December 2024, MV found itself at KK’s in Wolverhampton for what was an emotional night. It was Brave Rival’s penultimate show as a five-piece — their second to last with singer Chloe Josephine before her departure the following evening. That context matters, because “5 to 4” feels like a rebirth.
Any questions about whether Brave Rival could move forward are answered the second “Let Me Rock N Roll” hits. It’s raw, urgent, and the heaviest thing they’ve ever recorded — all teeth and attitude. There’s a defiance in Lindsey Bonnick’s delivery that suggests the band are daring anyone to doubt them.
Yet this isn’t just about volume. “Poison” goes deeper, its melodic edge disguising a darker, more reflective undercurrent. Even if, as the world’s biggest blusher, the line about “pure and sweet depravity” is best left alone, I know a song destined to be played live when I hear one.
“Try Again” — almost eight minutes of it — is as ambitious as it gets, tackling mental health struggles with honesty and vulnerability, and showing that Brave Rival’s power lies not just in their riffs, but in their humanity.
Musically, this is the most visceral they’ve sounded. “Control” pulses with tension, and if the phrase “take back control” might induce a Boris Johnson–inspired cold sweat, this track reclaims it. Meanwhile, “Wild Child” is pure swagger — a bluesy, groove-soaked stomp that celebrates freedom and resilience, with Bonnick revelling in every line.
The final three tracks strip things back to acoustic form — usually the stuff of B-sides, but here they offer new dimensions to familiar songs. “Poison” becomes tender and haunting, “Control” transforms into something reflective and uplifting, and “Wild Child” channels that ragged, Stones-style looseness.
It feels like a cliché to call something “the best thing they’ve ever done,” but “5 to 4” probably is. If this marks a new era for Brave Rival, then it’s one that promises something truly special — a band finding strength through change, and sounding all the better for it. If this is the prologue, then bring on the novel.
Rating: 9/10
