Helios
Epic Records
The 2005 release of How To Save A Life was the kick-starter The Fray needed as a band. With five stunning singles the four-piece seemed destined for stardom; and while they seemingly have achieved it, the band have failed to really add anything to their sound over the past five years.
Helios is the ultimate summation of what The Fray has become as they struggle to evolve as a band. Turning to outside collaborations and over layered production, the album itself is half full of the simplistic ‘Fray’ filler-tracks such as Shadow And A Dancer and Wherever This Goes; features a few strong singles such as Hold My Hand and Hurricane; and then looks into broader mainstream sounds in Love Don’t Die and Give It Away, the later being their worst track to date.
It begs the question, ‘Where do The Fray go from here?’ If the band are struggling with direction and identity and continue to produce three-to-four-track albums saturated with filler, their original success may not be able to hold them up anymore.
AARON BRYANS
