For a band with such a cheekily good name, Michael Cera Palin had comically bad timing. The first emo revival was dying down right as these upstarts arrived on Atlanta’s overlooked DIY scene in 2015. After a pair of promising EPs, the trio took a premature hiatus, only to return during a global pandemic. But now, finally, a decade after they started, Michael Cera Palin are back, this time with their debut album. And while there is still some growing pains, it was well worth the wait. We Could Be Brave shows not only how far this band, but the entire genre, have come.
Michael Cera Palin haven’t forgotten their roots in Midwest emo. We Could Be Brave opens with a familiar twinkle, but those wistful arpeggios are the closest this album comes to the night sky…