Paradise Fears released “Lullaby” on May 14. The song was co-written by The Summer Set’s Brian Dales.

The band has been saying that they are taking their sound in a new direction and this single holds true to that statement. At first the song can be a bit of a shock, considering the pop-rock sounds of their previous works, Make Them Believe EP and Yours Truly.

Don’t let the name fool you, “Lullaby” is actually a rather dynamic love song that has a pop feeling. But it’s not the same as today’s “crap-pop” radio tunes. In a tweet, lead singer Sam Miller said he calls it “alt-pop.” I think he’s right- you can hear the pop influences in it, yet it still has that edge that gives it an alternative feeling.

The acoustic guitar that opens the song gives off an old-school Jesse McCartney “Beautiful Soul” feeling. The verses feature short lyrics that resemble spoken word:  “late night/ phone calls/ bags packed/ so long/ night drives/ long flight/ nothing good about goodbye,” which makes it clear that the band was influenced by Ed Sheeran’s poetic verses in “The A Team.”

Overall, the orchestral accompaniment is well-done and gives the song depth. Likewise, Miller’s vocals on this track are probably the best they’ve ever been. And the lyric video could not be any better- it’s visually sensational.

I’m really interested to hear what the band has done on their upcoming EP Antebellum, which will be released on June 25. Pre-order packages & bundles are available for purchase on their web store.