One of the brightest shining lights in the UK country scene, First Time Flyers, released their debut album today! It’s no secret we here are big fans of the band, so this has been a highly anticipated release for us since it was first announced. Blending incredible harmonies with amazing songwriting, I am eager to check out the songs they have not yet released, as well as hear how it all comes together. Let’s dive right in!
Opening on a recent single, ‘Jump’ is an absolutely AWESOME track. Their folk-pop sound is on full display from the jump (get it?) with a great acoustic guitar riff and the beautiful vocal over the top. It builds perfectly into a massive chorus, the harmonies immediately being a huge highlight, and something the band do maybe better than anyone else in the scene right now. It’s a catchy as anything chorus, and made even more so with the subtle clapping keeping the beat throughout. It’s a simple arrangement that is performed to perfection by the quartet, and is a fanatic choice for an album opener!
Next up is the track that’s been stuck in my head almost solidly for the three weeks since it was released. ‘Primadonna’ is an absolutely BANGING song, and the band know exactly what they are doing with that chorus, repeating it plenty. The track is built around it, even though the verses are just as great and memorable. They build up perfectly instrumentally, all leading to that massive earworm. And heck, we even get an awesome little guitar solo tucked away in the middle of this, somehow making the track even more incredible. It has been a massive song for them already and for good reason, and it’s easily a huge highlight of the album.
Despite being the one of the first tracks the band released together back two and a half months ago now, I still think ‘Happier’ may be my favourite track by the band, at least so far! It’s just the perfect country-pop song; great vocal performances, a catchy as anything hook and some phenomenal harmonies, but also some great instrumentation and standard-yet-well-written vocals. If you haven’t yet checked this song out, despite me raving about it for a couple of years now, get on it immediately, you won’t be disappointed! How it’s not one of the biggest songs in the country world is beyond me, but I’m so glad the band are still highlighting it here and in their live sets. Of course, it’s another excellent track and massive high point!
Another recentish since, ‘Looking Back Now’, slows the pace down a little. The piano is a nice touch, giving it much more of a ballad. It’s still an excellent chorus too, matching the tone of the track perfectly. Everyone gets their chance to shine vocally here, all four of them getting a solo moment alongside their killer harmonies. If you like more of a slower song, this is very much for you, and the emotion is present perfectly throughout. Also, the bridge builds perfectly, giving the track almost an epic feel to it. The band don’t get enough credit for their writing and song-arrangements, and this is the perfect example of them down that amazingly!
The first new track on the album, ‘Already Out’ is yet another great song. It picks up the energy a little again, but feels a bit more red-dirt and Americana compared to what we’d had already. It reminds me a little of ‘Tipsy’ when it kicks into the chorus, but that certainly isn’t a complaint as they very much make the sound their own, still! It makes for a memorable, catchy chorus, too! It’s very much a party song, and fits pretty well after a more emotion-filled slower one. It’s again catchy as anything, and may be stuck in my head for days to come, right alongside ‘Primadonna’! It could be a massive song coming out of this release, for sure, and would go down a storm with a live crowd that know it!
‘Walk the Line’ is a country track through and through, the galloping pace of the riff is awesome, and the Cash references due to the song title were a great touch. And once again, it’s another incredible chorus, something the band really cannot do wrong at this point! The lyrics are great too, definitely primed to get the crowds line dancing in a live environment. The bridge is once again amazing, and that low harmony heading into the final chorus… *chefs kiss*. It should come as no shock, but it’s another fantastic track, and yet another big highlight that makes our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Before the Wind Changes’, the beautiful acoustic single ‘First Dance’ and ‘Almost’ are all more slower, ballad tracks. All three of them are excellent, don’t get me wrong, but with it being a longer release I don’t have peoples attention spans enough to talk about each song individually and repeat myself over and over! Heck, ‘First Dance’ in particular hits home in a massive way, given my own wedding is coming up next month. It’s a beautiful song that will definitely be played there, that’s for sure. But the other two tracks are just as amazing, and well worth checking out again if you like the slower stuff.
Meanwhile ‘Out of Your Mind’ brings back the country/folk pop vibe back from ‘Happier’, much like ‘Do You Remember?’, the ever-fantastic ‘Gold’ and the rocky closer. Again, all are excellent tracks, with ‘Gold’ in particular being another firm fan and personal favourite. They are different enough to keep the album constantly interesting and memorable, too! Especially when the band have just a great ability to switch ‘lead’ singers on a dime. All are excellent tracks, on an excellent album!
The last track for us on the album, the awesome single ‘Stay’ is another banger. It feels the most folky of the bunch, almost giving Mumford and Sons or Crowe Boys vibes. That chorus is catchy as anything but the whole song is incredible. It’s another song that was the perfect choice for a single, and the fact that it’s been out over five months now and I still can’t get enough is a real testament to how good it truly is! It’s another firm favourite live, and is yet another absolutely massive highlight of the album. Another definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already!
Overall: This is just as incredible as I expected it to be! There isn’t a bad track on here, every single one being amazing in their own right, and the whole album flows perfectly. In a year jam packed full of awesome releases in the genre already, this most certainly stands up there at the top alongside any others. It’s an album I’d recommend to any music fan in general, not just those into the genre, and it will certainly be high up on our albums of the year come December. Even with me hearing a fair bit of it before, it still gave me enough of everything I wanted from the band, and the new stuff is also fantastic!
The Score: 9.5/10