If you’re a fan of Americana Rock acts such as Wilco, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen then boy, do I have a band for you. Four Lions are a Bendigo based act that has fused the genres of Americana, Roots, and Alt-Country together to create an extremely solid album named Hard Days. Driven by small towns and the stories of the people within them, Four Lions tell familiar stories of the blue collar working man.
Hard Days is the band’s fourth studio album and with this release, they have substantially upped their game, recruiting Finn Keane (Wilco) to engineer and mixed by Sam Kassirer (David Ramirez, Josh Ritter) in Boston Massachusetts. This decision has paid off big time, with an authentic American influence, which is not always easy for an Aussie band to replicate, heard loud and clear throughout the entire album.
The lead single ‘Stay’ is a standout song for me as it serves as a stellar tribute to artists the band has been influenced by and aspires to be, similar to a Dire Straits throwback but without the cheesy tribute band feels. Also, the final song ‘Living With A Stranger’ is an epic seven-minute journey championed by passionate vocals and roots guitar.
This is not to say the songs in between aren’t worth a listen as this album is genuine throughout with a true feeling of home embedded in its sound. The passion of Four Lions is felt on record and I’m sure it will be even more impressive live. Luckily for us, they are touring regional and metropolitan Victoria throughout May and June, hitting Geelong on Friday 31st May. Be sure to check them out!
4/5
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Reviewed by Jordyn Workman
