As multi-purpose as chart pop can be, the element of surprise is still a vital ingredient. It’s what prevents melodies from becoming retreads and choruses from disappearing into the ether without making an impact. It’s largely missing from Saint Raymond’s debut full length, ‘Young Blood’, which struggles to break free of its status as a competent, somewhat beige, collection.
In this equation, festival season also has something to answer for. ‘Young Blood’ arrives calibrated for summer singalongs, with the glossy finish, applied by producers including Jacknife Lee and Richard Wilkinson, ensuring that its broad appeal isn’t hampered by any sharp edges. Callum Burrows has an ear for choruses that operate in a similar wheelhouse to early Mumford and Sons, but his slate of influences thankfully runs a little deeper than that. When he indulges them, things start to work in his favour.
There are brief hints of new wave echo and the glimmering pop of the ‘80s hidden throughout, with a welcome dash of the Mystery Jets’ playful indie apparent on I Want You, one of a number of singles released in the last 12 months to signal Burrows’ intent. “We were just young, something we outgrew,” he sings in a rare moment of melancholy.
Unfortunately, each stylistic choice or hook that piques interest is buried under 10 that don’t get close enough. From the second Letting Go ushers in a booming ‘woah-oh’ hook, too much of ‘Young Blood’ is a case of going through the motions. Where a record like ‘Wanted On Voyage’, George Ezra’s debut, got away with a few rote choices thanks to the charm of his baritone delivery, Burrows’ personality isn’t enough of a factor.
That might well emerge in time and it can’t hurt that he’s toured with Haim, who proved that pop can be both immediate and satisfying in the long term with ‘Days Are Gone’ a couple of summers ago. There’s certainly a suggestion that this will be both Burrows' first album and also his first hit, laying a platform for either more of the same or some further embellishment. Let’s hope for the latter.
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