“Believe,” by The Bravery, Thursday, October 21, 2021

When The Killers released their debut 2004 Hot Fuss, it ushered in a new era of New Wave music. According to Alan Cross of the Ongoing History Podcast, New Wave was the commercially viable offspring of Punk Rock, which had been successful in the UK but had failed to translate to the American market. New Wave was a British-inspired sound that touched on themes universal to the late-boomer generation. In the early years of the '00s, Rock had so many popular iterations, it was hard to keep up with. Nu Metal, post hardcore, pop punk, (scr)e(a)mo, garage rock were just a few styles that gained popularity. However, with a massive record like Hot Fuss, there were sure to be copy-cats--bands that would leech onto The Killers' model of UK success followed by American success. The Bravery were such a band. The Killers' frontman, Brandon Flowers, called the band out on the copying their playbook, starting the third-wave of New Wave's crowning feud, in a similar way to the big Emo feud between Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco. 

WE DO OUR TIME LIKE PENNIES IN A JAR. The Bravery is a band from New York that debuted in 2005. Arguably, because of bands like The Killers, rock was ready for fun, uptempo music. The band's eponymous debut album garnered attention in the UK, but a legal dispute didn't allow them to release their follow up albums in the UK. Meanwhile, in July of 2006 Brandon Flowers apologized to The Bravery. The Killers changed their sound on the their sophomore record, while The Bravery recorded a stronger New Wave record than their debut. The Sun and the Moon gave the group two rock radio singles, "Time Won't Let Me Go," peaking at #10 and "Believe" peaking at #4. Unlike their debut, Singer and lyricist Sam Endicott weaves existential crisis into positive-sounding tracks. Meta-critic rates this record with a score of 62, which seems low, considering it's a fine example of happy-sad 3rd wave new wave. The magic that the band captured on their sophomore record, though was lost on their follow up, Stir the Blood. The album takes the darker side of The Sun and the Moon and amplifies it. The darker lyrics match with darker, less catchy melodies. The band didn't record a follow-up and announced an indefinite hiatus in 2014, though there is talk of a reunion and they are listed to play a festival in Mexico along with Twenty One Pilots. 

I'M HIDING FROM SOME BEAST. In a concert video, Endicott says that "Believe" is a song about drinking too much. The Sun and the Moon really resonated with me in college. It was a time when I was building a biblical worldview, guided by Adventist theology, and I looked to songs like this to prove my point: everyone is looking for something to believe. "Believe" isn't a declaration of belief--it's an open invitation for the best offer. This is what the predatory evangelist has been waiting for. Adventists teach that many hungry souls will find the truth as the end of days approach. There's also a teaching that a majority of those who will be saved are still out in the world. But with conversion comes a process of stripping away the world. The steps it takes to become Adventist set the church apart from most denominations. Whereas most Protestant churches require a declaration of belief, Adventists require a list of practices--rather abstinences. Bible studies leading up to Adventist baptism take the participant through the Twenty-Eight Fundamental Beliefs. And with each belief there is some sacrifice required: keeping the Sabbath holy, not eating unclean meats, not drinking alcohol--and in more conservative churches no caffeine. The basic premise of Adventism is that we are not our own, this life is only a training ground for heaven, and the End is near. One of my earliest criticisms of the church was the high barrier of entry. You're either all in or all out. College-me, who had been building this hybrid Adventist worldview, was pretty sure the church was wrong about that. And that doubt in the church has only grown since then.

Read “Believe” by The Bravery on Genius