The phrase “Ireland’s answer to Mumford & Sons” may strike fear into the hearts of many, but if Hermitage Green started out as banjo-toting folkies in 2010, their debut studio album tells another story.
Fronted by former Munster rugby player Barry Murphy, the Limerick band incorporate banjos and bodhráns into their folk-pop sound, but seem more concerned with appealing to daytime radio listeners than forging their own distinct path.
There are rousing Coldplay-style anthems a-plenty (the title track and the soaring, overwrought My Only Wish) and heart-swelling ballads in spades (Magnificent), but any sense of personality is largely glossed over by the pristine production.
The pop strut of Not Your Lover is an improvement, but overall it seems like a missed opportunity by this group to make the indie-folk genre their own.
