In February of 2016, an upstart indie British band named Viola Beach was coming back from playing a European festival when the unthinkable happened. Their car went off a bridge, killing all four members of the band – singer/guitarist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe, and drummer Jack Dakin – as well as their manager. Public outpourings of support for the families were quick and swift; even Coldplay performed their track “Boys That Sing” recently at Glastonbury. In the aftermath, the band’s family members have compiled every professional recording – eight songs and a track from a BBC performance – that the band had made in their short time together. What we have is one of the most striking records of the year.

“Swings And Waterslides” is a decent enough track and has become one of the band’s most popular songs, but “Boys That Sing” is the real draw here. It’s just a fantastic little number, full of great melodies and definitely one of the most interesting records of the year.

“Like a Fool” is a perfect pop song, showcasing that this band was going to do great things. It’s one of the most memorable songs of the year, featuring great vocals, great musicianship – just the sound of a group of friends getting together and recording music. “Go Outside” has some excellent guitar playing, and it’s just really cool indie rock. Turns out that this is much better than most other British rock coming out right now.

“Drunk” is a great slow jam, providing another wonderful example of what the band had ahead of them. Although the band was taken from this Earth before they really had a chance to show the world what they were capable of, this collection of music proves that they had a great future ahead of them and we should cherish the little bit of music that we have from them.

Rating: B+

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