Album Review: Broken Witt Rebels – OK Hotel

The spacious new sound on Broken Witt Rebels’ second album identifies them instantly as a band changing lanes. Gwyneth Paltrow might call it a ‘conscious uncoupling’ from the fiery classic rock that defined their debut, but we’ll just call it a nifty sidestep.

The Brummie quartet are less aligned now to raw, earthy bands like The Temperance Movement, and reach instead for Kings Of Leon’s carefully crafted stadium-rock polish. The production’s sharper, the sound more contained, and everything feels done with a plan. Sometimes it can seem a little contrived, but songs like opener Running With The Wolves and Money combine hardy hooks with plenty of groove, and Take You Home is an instant-fix anthem perfect for big audiences.

It ends with a wry, backhanded salute to their home city, which rhymes ‘found my feet’ with ‘lose my teeth’. Not a complete change of gear, then, more a confident break for the border that’s partially successful.

Verdict: 3/5