Birds of Wales—Belgravia Hotel
Although Toronto-based group Birds of Wales has been likened to Coldplay, I’d go further and say that they’re more akin to The Band. They’ve found success not only in Canada, but also in the UK, so you can imagine the pressure they were under to produce something up to their own foot-tapping musical standard on their latest album. Luckily, Belgravia Hotel is truly lovely and fits well with this time of year.
The album opens with an air of nostalgia by starting with old Birds of Wales favourite “My Lady in July.” It then unfolds to sunny melodies, velvety vocals, and intelligent lyrics. A soon-to-be favourite for many Bird of Wales fans is “Just Right,” with the reassuring line, “I don’t know where / I’m gonna be / It’s alright.”
There are a few radio-friendly tracks such as “Tin Soldier” that will likely appeal most to our little sisters. But we don’t judge. The album is nowhere near a let down—I would take their music along on my road trip jams, and you should too.
