Album review: Lonely The Brave – The Hope List After weathering the storm, Lonely The Brave set forth on a promising new chapter with third album, The Hope List… Words: James MacKinnon Much has changed in the world of Lonely The Brave since releasing their ambitious second album Things Will Matter in 2016. Internally, the departure of co-founding vocalist Dave Jakes in 2018 sent shockwaves through the camp. Their erstwhile frontman’s impressionistic lyrics and Peter Gabriel-alike voice seemed an inseparable element of the Cambridge quartet’s appeal: a voice like a mighty oak which stood firm within the band’s wind-strewn post-rock vistas, yet belied a chronically shy performer. Outside, global pressures that have weighed on us all – Brexit, environmental crisis, a reality TV hog in the White House – seemed to hint at a fracturing world. According to guitarist Mark Trotter, there was never a question of Lonely The Brave soldiering on. Even so, less turbulent events have blown many bands before them off course, never to return.