In-Flight Safety — We Are An Empire, My Dear

This Halifax quartet are stepping up their game. We Are An Empire, My Dear, released on their own label three years to the day after their The Coast Is Clear full-length debut, is filled with radio-friendly rock. Unfortunately, most of the songs sound like Coldplay tracks — especially "Big White Elephant," "Torches" and "Fill Our Wounds" — with a hint of Killers' '80s-style synths sprinkled on top. To make matters worse, not only does vocalist/guitarist John Mullane sound a lot like Chris Martin, but he falls dangerously close at times to entirely ripping off the frontman's singing style. That's not to say this is a bad album. There are a lot of solid tracks, including lead single "Actors," but it's just all been done before. Coldplay fans (read: seven per cent of the world's population) will eat this thing for breakfast.