Listen: Boyhood Bravery
Joseph Williams is a one man band. The talented, nineteen-year-old Cambridge, U.K. native, who goes also goes by his music name, Boyhood Bravery, plays every instrument, from guitar and ukulele to piano and percussion. While this is by no means uncommon in today’s music world (see Trent Reznor, Ben Kweller, and the countless other recent examples), it is certainly a risky venture for someone so young, so unknown.
Yet it is also quite noble. Like those before him, Boyhood Bravery, presents himself without the sheer of electronic distortion, familiarity of background vocals, or beats of a drum. He is by himself, accompanied only by the sounds produced by his hands, his feet, and his voice. If he fails, it’s his fault. He can’t blame the band or a conflict in ideals. He is alone and naked in a world, where blog critiques and demo tapes make or break a career. But if he succeeds, just like those before him, he’ll be deemed a genius. It’s certainly a brave effort for someone so young, but then again, that is his name.
Fortunately for Williams, at least based on his two demo releases, the bravery has translated into 
success. With vocals eerily reminiscent of Tokyo Police Club’s Dave Monks and a Peter Moren-esque sound, Williams creates simple, acoustic rich ballads. Musically, there is much room for growth, which will likely come with time, as it did for his influences.
Lyrically is where William’s shines. “You Again” is sweet and passionate, while “Brighton Beach” subtly deals with the loss of love, “I’ve been dreaming dreams of yesterday/when we’d never say never.” While like the music, the subjects and themes of each song stay consistent and simple, the emotionally laced passion found in both the vocals and words of William bring about a sense of reality. His pain, his happiness, and his life flow through each phrase. Just as he does in real life, Williams exposes himself, leaving everything out there - at the mercy of our ears, the judgement of our taste.
Will he succeed? Only time will tell. But Boyhood Bravery isn’t afraid to take risks, and in a world of music increasingly cluttered with all too familiar guitar rifts and bouncing drum beats, sometimes that is the most important thing.
Check Out:
“You Again”
“Pigeon French”
Leave a Reply